


A Min-nin's Tale

by MoonlitNightin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, And human Itachi put the Chibi Uchiha in a tight spot after murdering his clan, Basically mini ninja exist, Chibi Sasuke - Freeform, Chibi Uchiha clan, Drama, Family, Friendship, Gen, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Worldbuilding, but the regular ninja don't know about them, chibi itachi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24598933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitNightin/pseuds/MoonlitNightin
Summary: Sasuke didn't mind being a Chibi ninja until he learned human shinobi liked to use his kind like summons, and if he didn't do something quick, he was going to be sold to the one ninja solely responsible for all his clan's problems: Human Uchiha Itachi.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 29
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

There are Littles and Bigs in this world, Itachi tells Sasuke when he turns six. They are the Littles, _Chibi_ beings shorter than a human hand. Bigs are the humans, _Oki_ people prevalent across the globe.

Sasuke, having heard this already from their parents, scowls and folds his arms from atop his bed. He asked for a bedtime story, not a boring lesson!

Itachi chuckles at Sasuke's pouty face and tugs the boy out from under the covers, settling him upon his legs. "Yes, I know you know this, but there's more."

Sasuke perks up, arms dropping and head angling back so Itachi can see his wide-eyed curiosity. "Really? What is it?"

Itachi smiles faintly at his eagerness. "Well, we're connected, us Chibi and Oki."

Sasuke's head tilts. "We are?" His brow knits together. "But I thought the Oki didn't know about us."

"They don't," Itachi quickly assures. "But that doesn't mean we aren't connected. Just think, where do we get most of our food from?"

"Borrowing from the Oki!" Sasuke chirps, happy to show off his smarts. "'Cause they leave out lots and lots of food."

Itachi nods, smile broadening. "And who taught us our shinobi ways?"

"The Oki!" Sasuke boasts confidently. "Because they leave out ninjutsu books for us to read, and they're always fighting, so we watched them and learned how to use chakra."

"Exactly," Itachi smooths back Sasuke's hair, and the younger boy preens under the attention. "The Oki don't know we exist, but we wouldn't be Chibi Uchiha without the Oki Uchiha."

"Oh!" Sasuke's eyes widen as comprehension lights up his face. "So that's what you meant about us being connected?"

"Yes." Itachi shuts his eyes for a beat too long. "But there's more to it, to this _connection_ between Chibi and Oki."

Sasuke frowns, sensing the mood change. "What's wrong, Nii-san?"

"We Chibi," Itachi turns from Sasuke while his arms twine around the child's middle and reel him in closer, "Copy the Oki not just in regards to the way we live, but also with our appearances."

Sasuke's thoughts halt, then tangle in his attempt to understand his brother's words. "You mean..." He hesitates. "Like Chibi having two arms and ten fingers like the Oki do?"

Sasuke can tell he's guessed wrong before Itachi shakes his head. "No, though that is true." The preteen regards Sasuke coolly and the six-year old cows under the weight of Itachi's stare. "For every Chibi," his brother intones, "There is an Oki who looks _exactly_ like them."

Sasuke blinks very slowly while his eyebrows inch up until they disappear beneath his bangs. Somehow, he finds the strength to sputter. "There's an Oki who looks just like me!? Just like _you_!?" His naturally pitchy voice rises three notches.

Itachi, unbothered by his little brother practically screaming in his ear, nods sagely. "Yes, and those Oki share not only our looks, but our names as well."

Sasuke's head fizzes, and the wire linking his brain to his mouth goes taunt, nearly snapping in two. He trembles from the idea that there is another Sasuke, an _Oki_ -Sasuke running around somewhere in this too big world.

The small part of his Chibi brain that isn't stuck on— _There's two Sasukes! Two me's!_ —wonders what his larger counterpart looks like, if Oki-Sasuke lives near his home. After all, the Chibi Uchiha live within the walls of the Oki Uchiha compound, and since no Chibi is allowed outside the walls their family dwells in until they enter the Academy—something Sasuke won't do for another week—he has never seen the Oki who reside in the same house as him.

Quickly he realizes it's very likely his family does live in the same house as his Oki counterpart. Sasuke has heard a young Oki boy speaking to an older boy outside his bedroom, and now Sasuke is gasping because he might have been hearing the Oki version of his big brother too!

Soft fingers running through Sasuke's hair coax him into awareness, and he looks up right in time for Itachi's fingers to poke his forehead. Sasuke shuts his eyes reflexively, but when his brother starts laughing he opens them to glare.

"Aniki!" Sasuke wails, though he calms when Itachi hugs him.

"Don't worry so much, Sasuke. You'll get used to the idea eventually. We all do," Itachi says kindly.

Sasuke frowns, refocusing on what he's learned. "Have..." He looks away, pink sprinkling over his cheeks and hands wringing together. It's a stupid question. He shouldn't ask, lest he look stupid in front of Nii-san.

"Yes?" Itachi waits patiently.

It takes a minute, but soon Sasuke's head swings up and he blurts. "Have you ever seen my Oki?"

Itachi nods, and Sasuke's eyes double in size. "Really?" He sits up so fast his head nearly bops Itachi's chin. "What's he like, I mean, is he like me? Or does he act scary like most Oki? Does he like the same food as me? Have you seen him eat tomatoes? Do you like—" He hesitates, but forces out the question whose answer he desires most. "Do you like him?" Sasuke looks down, too nervous to watch his brother's expression.

Itachi hums before responding in order of Sasuke's asking. "Yes, no, yes, yes, and—" He pretends to mull over his last answer, soaking up the anticipation brimming in Sasuke, but then his eyes crinkle and he grins. "Yes, I like him very much."

Something cold and thorny uncoils from Sasuke's heart while Itachi gives him a squeeze, saying, "Because he reminds me of you."

"G-good," Sasuke stutters in relief, snuggling up against Itachi's chest and muttering into his brother's neck. "I was worried you'd say he was annoying."

"How could I find him annoying?" Itachi notices Sasuke's eyes drooping as his mental exhaustion finally takes its toll, so grabs the discarded bedsheet and drapes it around his little brother, "When he's just like my favorite otouto."

"I'm your only otouto." Sasuke grouses, his eyes fluttering close as the blanket's warmth seeps into his skin and fatigue sedates his mind. "I wonder..." Sasuke talks more to himself than Itachi now. "If I'd like Oki-Sasuke...or Oki-Nii-san..."

Itachi stiffens at the mentioning of his Oki counterpart, but soon relaxes. "I hope..." He waits for Sasuke's breathing to even out before whispering, "I hope you never find out."

Sasuke doesn't pick up on the undercurrent of _warning_ in the eldest's tone as sleep overtakes him.

**—**

It's a decade later when Sasuke finally grasps his brother's concern.

He and Shisui are out forging for medicinal herbs in a lush thicket within the Oki Suna greenhouse while Itachi and Izumi keep watch outside the glass building. They are far from home. In fact, this is the farthest Sasuke has ever been, but the Chibi Uchiha clan is running low on poison antidotes, and they can only borrow so much from the Oki Konoha Hospital without making the Oki shinobi suspicious. This wouldn't be an issue if they could still borrow supplies from their Oki counterparts like all the other Chibi clans do.

But the Oki Uchiha died when Sasuke was seven.

Sasuke had been heading home late, having lost track of time throwing shuriken at the leaves hanging off the end of the tree branch he stood on. The Chibi Ninja Academy has target boards and training grounds right outside the building, but the school is underground and Sasuke has been stuck indoors all day, so preferred to practice out in the sunshine.

Yet now the sun is gone, and his brother's crow summon is getting antsy, so Sasuke gathers his shuriken and mounts the crow.

The ride to the Uchiha compound is as smooth as ever, the full moon glinting off the bird's coal black feathers while she weaves through the air. Sasuke is enjoying the brisk breeze after working up a sweat when the crow dives straight into an electrical pole.

A deep swerve saves them from a violent collision, Sasuke just barely holding onto the bird's saddle, and it is now that he finally notices the pale moonlight is the _only_ light source in the entire compound.

_That's weird... It isn't even close to bedtime yet._

Regardless of what Sasuke assumes is a power outage, crows don't have night vision, so he has no choice but to dismount and dismiss the summon.

Now on the ground hiding in a patch of grass, Sasuke's feet groan at just the idea of walking all the way to his bedroom within the main Uchiha family's home. However, in a stroke of good fortune, Oki-Sasuke runs past Sasuke's hiding spot, and the Chibi doesn't hesitate to jump onto the giant's shoe, scaling up the other boy's leg quickly and leaping onto the Oki's satchel.

By some miracle, Oki-Sasuke doesn't notice, and the Chibi is relieved as he slides under the bag flap and falls in among the Oki's schoolbooks. He knows this is risky, all Chibi know better than to get so close to an Oki-nin, but Sasuke is seven-years old and tired, and it's not like his counterpart is a fully-trained shinobi. He won't notice a thing.

It takes a little work to avoid being squashed by Oki-Sasuke's schoolbooks, but eventually he finds his balance atop one of the thicker texts. Sasuke crosses his legs and holds onto the lip of the book beneath him, preparing for a somewhat bumpy ride.

Only for Sasuke's ride to skid to a stop, nearly pitching him off the book as his Oki counterpart gasps. "This is—!"

Sasuke doesn't get what made the boy stop until the stench hits him. His little nose wrinkles at the putrid smell wafting through the satchel, reminding him of raw fish. He assumes it's coming from a trash can until the larger boy cries. "W-what is this?!"

Curiosity getting the better of him, Sasuke stands up and peeks out the space where the satchel doesn't touch the flap.

With all the streetlights off, Sasuke can't tell the difference between the dead Oki littering the earth and the usual litter, but he does see the weapons. The kunai, the shuriken, and _blood_ gleaming scarlet along their silver edges. 

His horrified gasp goes unheard as Oki-Sasuke breaks into a run and sends Sasuke tumbling back onto the textbook.

"Uncle... Auntie..."

The breathy, horrified whisper the Oki child releases once he stops again chills Sasuke to the bone, and his breath grows uneven while his larger counterpart sprints ahead.

"Father... Mother..."

Tagging along was a mistake, Sasuke realizes when he hears Oki-Sasuke slide open the front door to their home. He needs to get out now, leave the satchel _right now_.

Yet Sasuke is frozen with dread for himself and his counterpart because something is wrong, _horribly_ _wrong_.

"Father? Mother?"

No one answers the Oki child, and though Sasuke wants to call out for his own parents, all he can do is whimper as Oki-Sasuke slowly steps forward.

"Move." Sasuke whispers to himself, knowing instinctively that Oki-Sasuke is walking into something terrible and will consequently drag Sasuke with him unless he leaves the satchel quick.

 _Move!_ He mentally screams, getting his shaking body to rise.

 _MOVE!_ The mental screech finally gets Sasuke scrambling out of the bag, and he's sliding down its side when Oki-Sasuke rips the satchel off.

Sasuke loses his grip and free falls, but when his arms flail, he happens to latch onto the Oki's shorts pocket. However, the Oki boy is already in motion, running through his house with shoes and satchel now off, so all Sasuke can do is cling for dear life.

By the time the Oki stops, Sasuke is gasping for breath and his arms are trembling so hard he's losing his grip. Looking down while his larger counterpart hesitates in front of a door, Sasuke realizes the ground is too far, a fall from here would _kill_ him, and the Oki boy is shaking too much for Sasuke to safely climb down.

So Sasuke uses the last of his strength to tumble headfirst into Oki-Sasuke's pocket right as the larger boy pushes open the doors.

"Father! Mother!"

The stench of fresh blood assaults Sasuke even through the pocket's thick material, and the Chibi huddles as deeply as he can inside the pouch, shaking so badly he's certain if the Oki wasn't shaking too he would have definitely noticed him.

The ominous clack of Oki shinobi sandals striking wooden floorboards has Sasuke covering his ears, but he can't block out the Oki's low, deep voice. Nor ignore the sound of a shuriken slicing into Oki-Sasuke's skin, or avoid the heart-wrenching screams when Oki-Nii-san tortures his little brother.

Sasuke's eardrums burst, and he's sure he's screaming too, but his little voice merges with his counterpart's until Oki-Sasuke collapses, inadvertently pulling Sasuke to the ground with him.

Sasuke is mercifully knocked out when his head hits the floorboard, and it isn't until he wakes up the following morning on a bed within the Chibi Konoha Hospital that he's told the fall also ejected him out of Oki-Sasuke's pocket. His brother found him three hours later, half-drowned in the blood pooling around their Oki-parents' corpses.

Even today Sasuke is ashamed for screaming the first time Itachi visited his hospital room, having last heard his brother's voice while he cooly tortured his Oki counterpart. It takes weeks for him to look at Itachi without a haunted, hooded gaze, and even longer for his older brother to forgive himself for not personally picking up Sasuke from the Academy that night.

It takes even longer than that for the Chibi Uchiha clan to accept that Oki-Sasuke is the sole survivor of the Oki Uchiha.

And it takes no time at all for Chibi Uchiha life as they know it to fall apart at the seams.

Yet, Sasuke isn't thinking about that night, tries very hard to _never_ think about that night, when he plucks a plump red berry off a shrub and stuffs it into his satchel. Shisui, pouches and backpack overloaded with medicine leaves, waves him out of the thicket.

"I think we're done here."

Sasuke nods, lifting his backpack off the dirt floor and shrugging on his burden of roots and berries his clan so desperately needs.

Shisui elbows Sasuke while they're heading towards the exit, whispering. "Think we should slow down? I wouldn't want to interrupt Itachi and Izumi's _private_ time."

He waggles his eyebrows and Sasuke's face scrunches with disgust, thoroughly grossed out by the mental image of his brother and Izumi doing anything... _unseemly_.

Shisui laughs without a sound, knowing Oki shinobi's senses are usually sharp enough to pick up Chibi voices. "Don't worry," he clasps Sasuke's shoulder. "Some day when you’re older and have a special someone—"

Sasuke's teeth grind and he's growling— _I'm fifteen, don't treat me like a child!_ —when a large shadow covers them. Shisui's grip tightens and Sasuke's eyes widen as the elder Uchiha shunshins them out of the greenhouse.

Itachi and Izumi whip around, kunai at ready and brows raising when they see it's just them, but neither can get out a word before Shisui shouts. "Hawk!"

Sasuke doesn't have time to register the warning before that same shadow blocks out the scorching sun and then he and Shisui are diving away from talons smashing into the area they'd been standing in.

Sasuke's ankles sting from the awkward landing, his baggage throwing off his normal grace, but he still easily shifts into a fighting position with a shuriken in hand while the giant bird rears back like it's planning to peck him. Yet, there's no need to defend himself as Itachi spits fire into the bird's face.

The hawk screeches, and shoots up to the sky with singed feathers. They all watch it fade into the blue heavens, and only once they can’t see it anymore do they calm.

"Where did it come from?" Izumi lowers the kunai in her hands, straightening from the crouch she fell into.

"And how did it follow us outside?" Sasuke turns to the greenhouse, eyes darting around in search of a break in the glass. "The door was closed and there's no windows."

Yet, the hawk had definitely been inside with them, Sasuke _felt_ its talons brushing over his head until Shisui shunshined them out.

"It doesn't matter." Itachi strides over to them, taking half of their burden with a hint of a frown marring his face. "My jutsu was likely noticed by nearby shinobi, and Chibi or Oki, we don't want Suna-nin on our tail."

It's clear Itachi isn't worried they can't take on the foreign ninja, all four of them ranked near or were the top of their Academy class. However, if a fight were to ensue, it's highly likely their precious provisions would get damaged or be lost, and the Chibi Uchiha clan cannot afford anymore setbacks.

"I'm on it." Shisui quickly summons an ebony hawk while Itachi summons a crow.

Sasuke mounts Shisui's bird, getting situated behind the older male while Izumi and Itachi board the other bird. Both summons take off at the same time, and like that night so long ago, everything goes well until it doesn't.

"Wha—"

Shisui's head whips back less than a minute after they've ascended and Sasuke follows his line of vision to see the same hawk from earlier swooping down at them from high above. The bird's singed and blackened face makes it recognizable, but apparently the fire didn't impair its vision because its sharp talons nearly behead Shisui before the man ducks low.

Sasuke immediately forms the hand signs for a fire jutsu since Shisui is busy steering, all the while being stumped by the bird's determination to attack them. Most animals, even really big ones, can sense a Chibi-nin's strong chakra signature and know better than to mess with them. Also, while some hungry animals might risk attacking a Chibi shinobi, rarely do they return after receiving a fireball to the face.

Sasuke figures out what's so off with the hawk only once it pulls up alongside Shisui's hawk faster than he can blink. A normal hawk can't fly that fast, Sasuke thinks right as the fire is extinguished in his lungs when rough, scaly talons coil around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides.

He thinks Shisui calls his name, maybe Itachi does too, but the rush of air as the hawk zooms up with him in its clutches covers the sound. Then there's a dizzying change in altitude, so fast the sky is a blur of blue and white and it feels like his stomach has plummeted to earth while his body soared up to the stars.

Sasuke can't breath, the wind pressure is _crushing_ him, and though he wants to scream, nothing comes out except a silent wheeze. Mercifully the hawk slows after ten seconds of outmaneuvering Shisui's hawk, and it quickly escapes the others' attempts to follow.

Now that they’re alone, the hawk's eyes fall on Sasuke, and unable to free his hands to form a hand sign or risk wiggling and falling to his death, the Chibi-nin suddenly registers the intelligence in the bird's gaze.

_This isn't a normal hawk...it's a summon!_

Much like that horrible night eight years ago, Sasuke only has a second to realize he's probably going to die before the hawk dives down to the sandy earth below. Its talons tighten around him until Sasuke is certain his ribs are cracking, but then black spots take over his vision and soon darkness is all he sees.

Sasuke wakes up to his brother's voice asking if he can get up.

Wondering why Itachi would ask such a strange question, Sasuke tries to show Itachi he's fine by rising, despite his eyes being glued shut and his arms shaking as he sets them under him. However, the heavy weight atop Sasuke's back has him pinned so tightly he can hardly breathe, so even when Itachi's gentle yet firm hands guide him into a stand, Sasuke's legs fold beneath him and he lands on his palms.

"Sorry, Nii-san," he whispers as his hearing dims and he falls under sleep's dark curtains once again.

The next time Sasuke awakens, a glass wall is pressed hard against his spine and he's freezing despite the thin, black cloak wrapped around his body.

There's something wrong with his chakra, Sasuke can tell immediately when he throws it out in search of nearby enemies and his chakra barely reacts to his call, never leaving his body and instead swirling inside him like a puppy chasing its own tail. Sasuke tries again, and the results are the same.

"Sasuke?"

Itachi calls him, but he's too focused on his right leg. It's stiff and the only part of him that's warm— _burning_ really—and when he tries to lift it, a spike of pain shoots up to his hip.

"Stop." Itachi touches his shoulder and Sasuke forces his eyes open to take in the blurry image of his brother kneeling beside him. "Your leg is broken, don't try to move it."

Sasuke nods because his throat is dry and his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth. However, his sight has started to clear up and Sasuke sees they are on a wooden shelf in an Oki store he doesn't recognize. Beside them, a lamp illuminates the nearby area, but its light is dim so most of the store is covered in darkness.

"Where..." Sasuke sits up, eyes roving about the place while the glass jars filled with jams and oddly colored liquids on the other shelves come into focus. Though it's the hamsters, fish, and other little animals in cages across from them that grab Sasuke's attention, particularly when he realizes he and Itachi aren't just on a shelf, they are in a glass _cage_ upon a shelf.

Sasuke's breath hitches and his eyes widen as he realizes they are in a store sitting on a shelf like an item on display. Yet, that's impossible, right? The Oki don't know the Chibi exist, and even if they did, they wouldn't _sell_ them.

"What..." Sasuke can't get out the rest, but Itachi picks up his meaning.

"We've been captured by an Oki."

Something cold and needle-sharp like a senbon left in the snow strikes Sasuke's heart while Itachi continues. "He's a missing-nin from Suna, and seems to own this establishment from what I can tell." Itachi's voice is flat, and that calms Sasuke because it's something familiar in this unfamiliar situation. "He frequently conducts black market exchanges here with other criminals."

Itachi pauses, gauging Sasuke's reaction, and Sasuke swallows to moisten his tongue before he asks, "Then why are we here?" He can't keep the quiver out of his voice because every Chibi has heard the stories, the tall-tales of Chibi who got captured by an Oki and were never seen again. Sure, Sasuke doesn't believe all of the stories, and can't imagine any Oki thinks something as small as them makes for a tasty meal or that all Oki are mad scientists bent on dissecting them. However, Chibi captured by Oki really aren't ever seen again, and now it seems Sasuke is going to be one of those never-seen-again Chibi.

"He plans to sell us."

Sasuke's head whips up to stare incredulously at his brother's impassive face. "What?"

Itachi closes his eyes briefly, then says, "There are rumors that the Oki shinobi who have managed to glimpse, or even capture a Chibi shinobi, believe us to be like summons." Sasuke's mouth falls open while Itachi clarifies. "They view Chibi as beings that can be used to aid an Oki shinobi in their missions."

Sasuke's hand clutches at the cloak around his legs, unsettled.

"Our captor seemed quite delighted by our headbands, and this container already had a chakra-restraint seal on it before he put us in." Sasuke follows Itachi's gaze over to a large black seal painted on the glass lid covering their cage. "I suspect he often sends his hawk summon out in search for Chibi ninja, and when his hawk saw our headbands and attire, it sought to capture us."

Sasuke struggles to wrap his head around the idea that he has not only been kidnapped by an Oki, but the Oki plans to sell him and his brother like they're nothing more than ninja hardware. Yet, it's not that hard to picture why an Oki might find Chibi ninja desirable. His kind is far less detectable than their Oki counterparts, and it would be easy for them to steal from or assassinate an unsuspecting Oki.

However, one thing remains unclear. "How did you get here, Nii-san?" Sasuke has a good idea, and dreads he's right.

Itachi turns away to stare at the lamp above them. "My crow caught up with the hawk summon, but the ensuing struggle caused both birds to crash. You were barely awake and couldn't stand, so I ordered Shisui and Izumi to leave without us. We might have managed to catch up with Shisui if the missing-nin hadn't arrived so quickly."

Sasuke's heart sinks to the floor. "You—"

Itachi turns back, but his tone is even as he shakes his head. "Shisui's hawk could not have carried me regardless, not with him, Izumi and all the supplies." Itachi smiles suddenly and Sasuke is too stunned to move away before two fingers poke him in the forehead, and his eyes close.

When he opens them, Itachi's smile is fading, but he sounds warm as he assures. "We will get out of this, otouto. As long as you remember our most important rule."

Sasuke squints, recalling the rule's vague mentioning back during his Academy days. "Never speak in front of an Oki, act like you don't understand what they're saying, and no matter what, don't communicate with them."

Itachi nods, grim as he stands and looks off into the darkness where a clock hangs on the wall, undoubtedly already forming an escape plan. Sasuke straightens up, shrugs off Itachi's cloak and examines his injured leg—it's splinted and tied to a twig by bits of cloth, which explains why his brother's cloak is torn—before following Itachi's gaze to the clock.

It's 10 PM, and if this were a normal shop, that would mean Sasuke and Itachi had until morning to escape, but this store is owned by a missing-nin and it's main clientele are criminals. Therefore, as a black market establishment, it likely opens late, perhaps around midnight.

So Sasuke, weaponless and injured, only has two hours to form a plan with his brother and escape their glass prison before they fall into the hands of any missing-nin with the right amount of money.

Just great. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whether I continue this or not really depends on the reception it receives.
> 
> If I do continue this, the next chapter would deal with human Itachi and Kisame entering the shop to buy a min-nin for the Akatsuki to use, only for them to realize the min-nin look identical to Itachi and his younger brother. Meanwhile, the Chibi shinobi would be trying to escape...
> 
> So let me know, who wants to see what happens next? ;)


	2. Chapter 2

"You don't know what a min-nin is?" A hint of genuine surprise laces Kisame's voice while he and Itachi traverse the dark stone corridor.

Itachi turns to stare evenly at him over the rim of his cloak collar, and Kisame smirks. "No need to glare, I just thought a smart guy like you would have heard of them."

The Uchiha doesn't say anything for a long moment, yet eventually relents. "I heard of them once, but dismissed them as mere children's tales."

He doesn't think about his mother sitting at his bedside after he caught a cold one winter, weaving the most fantastical tales to occupy his restless mind while he shivered under the covers, or how he used to sit on Sasuke's bed, his little brother curled up in his lap, and retell his mother's stories, Sasuke's eyes lighting up with wonder.

"I thought that too." Kisame shrugs. "I heard the rumors, but didn't believe them until I saw one."

Itachi's eyes narrow at the information, and Kisame's smile is all teeth as he divulges. "The min-nin was already dead when I found it on a rogue ninja. At first, I thought it was a doll, maybe a keepsake from the guy's daughter, until I picked it up and felt how warm it was. Then I noticed its mesh shirt and weapons were made of actual metal, and its headband was real too."

Kisame stops near the end of the tunnel in front of a wooden door impeded in the stone wall. "I still wonder how that rogue got his hands on a min-nin, but I figure he stole it, didn't know how to properly care for it, and that's why it was dead." He turns the doorknob and enters the underground store, Itachi following him inside.

White overhead lights buzz above them, illuminating the rows of shelves stocked with ointments, medicines, and other pharmaceuticals. In the back there's a counter where a Suna missing-nin sits on a stool, looking up and smirking at the sight of customers while to the left of him glittering fish swim in tanks beside cages of mice and hamsters on a tall shelf.

"Well, what can I do for you gentlemen?" The Suna-nin asks once they've approached the counter, coming to a stand.

"Depends," Kisame pulls out their payment and sets it on the counter, "Is this the place selling the min-nin?"

The shop owner glances at the roll of cash, a greedy gleam in his violet eyes, but doesn't take it as he says, "Indeed it is, my friend, but I'll warn you now," he waves his hand over the money, "This will only buy one of them."

Kisame flashes his teeth, unbothered. "We only want one."

The Suna-nin smiles back, but his grin is too wide to be genuine. "Perfect." He comes out from behind the counter and walks over to the shelf with the fish, though he turns his back on the aquarium to survey the shelf across from it. "Here they are," his finger taps on a glass cage set at eye level, but Itachi can't see anything inside—the shopkeeper's hand must be covering them. "One of them is awake and the other..."

Itachi tenses when the man suddenly frowns, looking puzzled before his head swings over to Itachi, violet eyes examining his face, then whips back to the cage. "Huh...what are the odds..."

Before Itachi can decipher the man's comment, Kisame says, "Well, I guess those stories had more truth to them than I thought,” and sends Itachi a sidelong-grin.

Recognizing that their unusual behavior has something to do with the min-nin, Itachi peers into the now unobscured cage.

And his mirror image stares back.

Neither Itachi nor the min-nin overtly react, but Itachi catches the tightening of skin around the min-nin's eyes, much like his own face is doing. So not only do they look identical, they act similar too.

How unsettling.

"I can't believe it." The Suna-nin speaks loudly behind Itachi, but he doesn't turn back so sees the twitch of irritation on the min-nin's face. Could it be min-nin are sensitive to loud sounds?

"I mean, I heard that min-nin had counterparts, but I've never seen proof of it until now."

"Counterparts?" Itachi asks, his eyes locked on the miniature version of himself, who seems to be imitating a statue.

Kisame laughs. "You really don't know anything about min-nin, do you?"

Itachi doesn't bestow him an answer, and Kisame concedes, but sounds amused as he says, "Some people think min-nin are created from the chakra humans expel, and that they take on the form of whichever human released the chakra."

If it's true, nothing on the min-nin's features reveal this. However, it's possible his counterpart simply doesn't understand them, perhaps min-nin have their own language.

"Wait," the shopkeeper refocuses on the glass cage, and Itachi suddenly notices a dark-haired figure lying on the ground behind his counterpart. "The other one should be up by now. He better not be dead."

The Suna-nin sounds upset, undoubtedly over the loss of revenue, when his finger taps against the glass. "Hey, out of the way." He scowls at the min-nin. "Move so we can see the other guy." He taps hard enough for the cage to shake, but the min-nin merely adjusts his footing to keep his position. "Hey!" His voice raises a decibel, and finally the min-nin reacts.

By turning his back on the shopkeeper in clear dismissal.

Kisame cackles. "He's just like you, Itachi!"

The Suna-nin turns red, sputtering curses, but Itachi simply stares at the tiny Uchiha crest on the back of the min-nin's gray t-shirt. He shouldn't be surprised by the emblem, especially since he noticed the lack of a scratch running through the min-nin's headband, yet he is. It appears his counterpart is still a part of his Village, perhaps even his parents are still alive—

Itachi stops himself from thinking further along that route, but can't prevent a stab of jealousy from striking his heart before he shuts the emotion down.

"For the last time," the shop owner growls, raising his hands over the cage, and fingers arching. "Get out of the way!"

Itachi's eyes narrow when the glass lid pops off without being touched, but he quickly puts it together once the min-nin's bodies seize up like a rope has coiled around them, and they're dragged up into the air and left to dangle above the container.

Chakra strings. The Suna-nin can manipulate chakra strings. No wonder he managed to capture so many min-nin.

"Huh, this day is just full of surprises." Kisame gestures to the limp min-nin hanging in front of his face, and Itachi looks over to it. His eyes widen.

"Sasuke…" Itachi exhales, unable to mask his shock because this min-nin is undoubtedly his little brother's counterpart. From the way his ebony hair spikes up in the back to the round shape of his cheeks, the min-nin is an identical copy of his brother, and this unleashes a thousand questions in his head.

Does Sasuke's counterpart know what Itachi did? Do any of the miniature Uchiha—assuming there are more—know what Itachi did to their human counterparts? If they do, which version of events do they know? Could they possibly know the _truth_?

Itachi's eyes slide over to his counterpart, whose arms are bound tightly to his sides by invisible strings, yet the min-nin appears unbothered by his trapped state, and instead his black eyes are on what must be his younger brother.

Hn. So their brotherly bond remains untarnished? It seems his counterpart truly knows nothing of sacrifice.

As if sensing his irrational bout of disdain, Itachi's min-nin regards him, assessing, but then Kisame draws near and steals away the min-nin's attention. "I guess there's not much of a choice, we're buying your counterpart, right? It's clearly the strongest of the two."

His reasoning is solid, Itachi knows, and yet what comes out of his mouth is, "No."

Kisame cocks his head, sharp teeth peeking out of his mouth as he raises a brow. "Really, why not?"

There's a teasing lit to his voice, as if he already knows Itachi's answer, but that is his typical tone so Itachi doesn't react. "While my counterpart is uninjured, and likely the most experienced of the two, his dōjutsu is probably on the same level as mine, meaning he is immune to my Sharingan's effects." He turns to Sasuke's counterpart, who has remained unconscious throughout his spiel, hanging limp as a rag doll and disturbingly vulnerable.

_"I figure he stole it, didn't know how to properly care for it, and that's why it was dead."_

Kisame's words echo in Itachi's mind, for the Uchiha can easily imagine what would happen if they left Sasuke's counterpart here. Injured as the min-nin is, all it would take is for an uninformed or foolish missing-nin to buy him, and Sasuke's counterpart wouldn't survive a day.

This min-nin is not his brother, but the idea of any version of Sasuke being dead is _reprehensible_ to him.

Kisame doesn't appear to suspect Itachi is being anything but logical when he agrees. "Yeah, and I can imagine your counterpart would be harder to contain." He gives the min-nin a pointed stare, but Itachi's counterpart is not looking at Kisame, rather his eyes are on him.

Itachi stiffens at the _knowing_ look those dark orbs give him, as if his counterpart is aware of exactly what Itachi is doing. Could it be the min-nin actually understood their conversation? Or did something about Itachi's body language give him away?

Itachi doesn't get an answer before the shopkeeper speaks up. "If you're sure about your choice," he lowers the miniature Itachi back into the glass cage and snaps the lid over it while bringing Sasuke's counterpart up to Itachi's face, "We better seal this guy's chakra soon, 'cause if he's faking unconscious, he'll be able to use a jutsu in one minute."

Itachi opens his raised hand, and the shopkeeper releases his hold on the min-nin so Sasuke's counterpart drops into his palm. Itachi is surprised by the weight of flesh and bone, having assumed he'd be lighter. However, as he's examining the twig splinting the min-nin's leg, something else grabs his attention.

"Where are his shoes?" Itachi narrows his eyes at the min-nin's bare feet and Kisame turns to reply when the shattering of glass disrupts them.

Itachi swivels towards the glass cage and sees it's empty right as a fireball flies straight towards his face.

**—**

Sasuke lies on the cage floor behind his brother, forcing his breaths to remain even and slow. He feels vulnerable with his closed eyes and lax body, but everything seems to be going well until he hears Itachi quietly gasp.

Alarm rushes through his veins, and Sasuke nearly ask what's wrong, but chokes down the question because his brother is in no position to answer. Still, Itachi wouldn't audibly react unless something serious is happening.

"Counterpart?"

Sasuke's heart stops, and his breath gets caught in his throat. He has to fight to keep motionless because he _knows_ that voice. He didn't expect him, of all the missing-nin to show up and try to buy them, neither Sasuke nor Itachi expected _him_.

_"Nii-san...why did you..."_

_"In order to measure my vessel..."_

_"Only for that reason you killed everybody?"_

Oki-Itachi, his flat voice splitting the air like a bitter breeze, says, "That is what’s important."

Sasuke's breathing quickens, the Chibi tormented by the echoes from that night and the phantom sound of Oki-Sasuke's screams.

It takes everything Sasuke has not to yell like he did back then when chakra strings wrap around his body and dangle him mere _inches_ away from Oki-Itachi's cold, dark eyes. Yet, somehow Sasuke sticks to his brother's plan, and dislodges his sandal, kicking his foot back so the shoe falls on the edge of the cage.

Unfortunately, he overshoots, and the sandal falls outside the glass container. The giants don't notice, Oki-Itachi and the sharkman are too fixated on his brother and the shopkeeper is busy glaring at Itachi. His brother was right, the Suna-nin is easily irked, and it was so easy for Itachi to rile him up.

Therefore, while the Suna-nin keeps Itachi trussed up tight, Sasuke dangles in a far looser hold, especially since the Oki think him unconscious. Now, however, the Chibi has to bite his tongue to keep from crying out while he jerks his broken leg back and dislodges his second sandal.

Sasuke holds his breath until he sees the black shoe land on the cage rim, wobbling precariously for a terrifying moment before it stills. However, Sasuke can't celebrate as he's suddenly pulled directly in front of Oki-Itachi's face.

Heart hammering and eyes squeezed shut, Sasuke is stiffer than he should be when he's dumped onto Oki-Itachi's hand.

The cool, calloused palm presses against Sasuke's cheek, the same hand that steeped itself in a sea of Uchiha blood eight years ago, and Sasuke is only mildly ashamed when he mentally cries— _Help me, Nii-san!_

Yet he needn't worry long, because Sasuke hears glass shatter and knows his shoe propped the cage lid up just enough for the chakra-restraint seal to remain incomplete, and now Itachi has escaped. Sasuke's eyes snap open when he smells the smoke from his brother's fire jutsu, and he eagerly springs up and dives off Oki-Itachi's hand while the Oki is distracted by the flames.

Sasuke doesn't plummet for long, Itachi catching him halfway down, and soon they're soaring through the air, leaping from shelf to shelf, and closing in on the exit.

So of course that's when Sasuke feels a violent tug on the back of his cloak, and is yanked out of Itachi's arms, flying back towards the glowering Suna-nin.

**—**

Itachi sidesteps the hand-sized fireball easily, but can't stop the miniature Sasuke from leaping out of his palm, having genuinely thought him unconscious. Quickly Itachi's eyes bleed into his Sharingan while the shopkeeper hisses as the fireball nicks his arm. Kisame, however, doesn't react at all, and Itachi realizes his counterpart must have placed him under a genjutsu.

"Kai!" Itachi calls, forming a hand seal, and the fog clears from Kisame's eyes, though the man blinks sluggishly and holds his head like he's disoriented.

Itachi assumes he'll recover fine so returns his focus to the tiny figures hoping off a shelf only four feet away from the entrance.

"No you don't!" The Suna-nin raises his hands and Itachi's dōjutsu allows him to see the chakra strings zipping towards the min-nin.

Itachi's counterpart must sense them, however, because he dodges the strings by twisting to the side midair. Yet one string still manages to latch onto Sasuke's counterpart, tearing the min-nin out of his brother's grasp. Only for the older brother to spin back, catch his sibling's arm, and slice through the chakra string with what must be a shard of glass he picked up from the shattered cage.

Even with the string gone though, the min-nin's momentum have been reversed and they fly towards the shopkeeper. The Suna-nin rushes down the aisle to catch them and Itachi can't warn him in time as his counterpart throws four glass shards like they're shuriken, and they cut red streaks across the shop owner's fingers.

He cries out, grasping his injured hand, while the min-nin land on the counter in a skid, and knowing he's been idle, Itachi moves to grab them. His fingers successfully close around the duo, but Sasuke's counterpart sparks with ferocious blue electricity and Itachi releases them, his arm convulsing, but before the min-nin can fall onto the counter, small jets of water smack into each of them.

The water widens and curves into spheres around them while Kisame, a hand on each orb, smirks. "Water Prison is quite the useful jutsu."

Itachi believes that's the end of the struggle until his counterpart pops within the water sphere, revealing himself to be a shadow clone.

Kisame disperses the empty orb, and his mouth curves up to reveal pointed teeth. "Talk about a betrayal." His eyes flick to Sasuke's counterpart, who is wide-eyed and twitching within the water. "It abandoned its own brother."

The min-nin stares up at Itachi, and genuine terror warps his expression. Now Itachi is certain at least Sasuke's min-nin knows what he did to the human Uchiha clan, and he's _terrified_ Itachi will do the same to him.

Deciding not to terrorize the min-nin needlessly, Itachi turns. "Don't be so certain," he scans the room slowly, anticipating a possible onslaught of fire to come their way, "My counterpart may simply be hiding."

"No." The shop owner has one hand, covered in angry red scratches, forming the ram hand seal while his eyes are shut tight. "I don't sense it anywhere, it's gone," the man growls, dropping the seal. "There goes that investment," he scowls.

"Good thing the boss only told us to buy one," Kisame says while the shop owner grudgingly sets a jar marked with a chakra-restraint seal on the counter and pops open the lid. The sharkman releases the prison jutsu, and catches the soaking wet min-nin in his palm, allowing the shinobi to hack out water off the side of his hand.

Once the min-nin appears able to breath easier, Kisame carefully pinches the back of his cloak and sets him in the jar. Though when he sees Itachi eyeing him, Kisame shrugs. "Its leg is broken, I'm not going to aggravate its injury. It's bad enough we're going to have to delay its training."

Despite the care Kisame takes, the min-min's face screws up with pain when his bad leg hits the bottom of the jar. He also begins to shiver.

Itachi is concerned the trip to the Akatsuki hideout may be too harsh on the min-nin, but the shop keeper shakes his head. "Don't worry, these little guys heal fast. As long as it stays off its leg for a couple of weeks, the bone will heal." He snaps the lid closed and the min-nin flinches, no doubt feeling his chakra being restricted once more. "And remember to keep it warm, especially at night. Min-nin are sensitive to low temperatures."

"Trust me," Kisame smirks, "I know all about min-nin since our leader made me read up on them." He glances tauntingly at the small shinobi and Sasuke's counterpart stares up defiantly. "Wouldn't want it dying _too_ soon."

Itachi watches the min-nin try to maintain a brave face, only to fail miserably when he notices Itachi observing him.

The tiny shinobi, with his skin paling and face screwing up like he wants to scream, makes a small part of Itachi wish he could reassure him, but even if the min-nin could understand him, Itachi couldn't truthfully tell his brother’s counterpart no harm would come to him.

So Itachi simply grabs the jar, and brings it close to his chest, hoping his body heat will warm up the wet min-nin. Yet, the miniature Sasuke immediately scoots to the side of the jar farthest from Itachi, and the man knows already this task won't be easy.

**—**

They spend the night in the woods, and Itachi stirs the campfire until he's satisfied by the flames' height. He sets the jar on the dirt floor so it's close enough to be warmed, but not near enough for the glass to melt.

The min-nin watches Itachi's hand warily until it leaves the cylinder, as if he somehow expects Itachi to reach through the glass and nab him.

Itachi reins in a sigh, tired of the min-nin's skittishness. Even Itachi's most mundane movements have been perceived as a threat by him, such as when he retrieved the min-nin's sandals from the broken cage and slipped them into the jar, only for the miniature shinobi to send him a narrow-eyed look before sliding them on.

Itachi knows the distrust is warranted—though it makes things so much _harder_ —as from the tiny shinobi's point of view, he's not only been captured by enemy ninja, he's been captured by _giant_ enemy ninja. It probably doesn't help that Itachi is one of those enemy ninja since it's obvious Sasuke's counterpart either heard of what he did to the human Uchiha clan or witnessed the massacre himself—Itachi hopes it's the former, that at least one version of Sasuke was spared the pain of seeing such bloodshed, but knows it's unlikely.

A quiet rumbling intrudes on Itachi's thoughts, and it takes him a second to recognize it's coming from the jar. The min-nin's face turns pink, and he ducks his head, and Itachi realizes that was the min-nin's stomach growling. He's hungry.

"What do they eat?" Itachi turns to Kisame, who sits on the log across from him.

The blue-skinned man looks up from sharpening his kunai, saying, "Same things as us, though they need to be fed more often."

Itachi slips a granola bar out of his pocket and tears off the plastic wrapper. "How often?" He holds the bar over the air holes in the lid, tilting it so the crumbs fall through them and rain down on the min-nin.

The small shinobi starts when he's struck by a crumb, but soon examines the brown pebble and realizes it's food. His eyes widen and jump up to Itachi, but when they meet his cool gaze, the min-nin sneers and drops the crumb on the floor, crossing his arms and turning his back in clear refusal to eat. It reminds Itachi a lot of when his little brother was young and refused to eat his vegetables.

"About five times a day." Kisame looks over to the min-nin and raises a brow. "Though maybe less for this guy, it seems used to starving."

Itachi's face hardens, but his expression doesn't change while Kisame carries on. "It felt a little underweight when I held it, either because it's not fully-grown or because you killed off its main food source." He searches Itachi's face for a reaction, but Itachi doesn't give him one, and this merely furthers Kisame's amusement. "They say min-nin follow their counterparts, living off their scraps." He points at the min-nin, who seems to be ignoring them. "This guy has probably been following you, sharing food with you, _watching_ you, for years."

Itachi is mildly discomfited by the thought. He has always been a private person, and to think someone—maybe _multiple_ someones—has been watching him since childhood... Then again, that likely stopped once he left Konoha.

"Anyway," Kisame sets his kunai on the log, "The min-nin being your brother's counterpart should make it easier to train."

Itachi's brow furrows. "Why is that?"

"You're already connected," Kisame stares into the fire, making his eyes gleam red, "Even if the little guy hates you, you're connected by that hatred."

Itachi finds it ironic that he might share a bond of hatred with both versions of Sasuke, but supposes it's what he deserves. Particularly if what Kisame says is true, and he has harmed this min-nin, potentially having harmed an entire community of min-nin when he slaughtered his fellow Uchiha.

"By the way," Kisame's lips hitch up on one side, "You wouldn't happen to have summoned a crow recently, right?"

Itachi shakes his head. "No, my crows cannot travel at night."

Kisame's lips peels back to reveal a vicious smirk. "Great, so it must be your counterpart. Min-nin are known for riding their summons."

Kisame suddenly stands and unleashes a barrage of kunai into the night sky. Itachi doesn't see anything, but hears the sudden fluttering of wings, the crow struggling to dodge the attack when it can hardly see.

"Got ya." Kisame locates the bird from the sound, and rapidly forms hand signs before spitting five jets of water in the bird's direction.

Itachi hears the crow cry and knows at least one of the jets hit its mark right before he sees a winged creature tumble out of the sky and crash yards away.

Kisame chuckles. "That was fun. Too bad the crash probably killed your counterpart. I kinda liked that guy."

A sudden clinking sound makes Itachi look down to see Sasuke's min-nin pressing his hands into the glass while he stares horrified in the direction where the crow fell.

Itachi understands now that this was the min-nin's plan. Itachi's counterpart figured he couldn't take on all three missing-nin, so pretended to leave Sasuke behind. In reality, he was following Itachi and Kisame this whole time, waiting for them to let their guard down so he could quietly retrieve his little brother without a fight.

But now Itachi's counterpart might be dead, and the miniature Sasuke is trembling and breathing raggedly because he knows that too.

"Just in case it survived," Kisame regathers his kunai from the ground, "We should head to the hideout before your counterpart recovers."

"I agree." Itachi rises fluidly, carefully picking up the jar and frowning at the catatonic expression on the min-nin's face.

He wants to tell the tiny shinobi that his brother is likely alive, just injured, but once again, Itachi doesn't know that for sure, and he doesn't want to lie if he doesn't have to.

Itachi has been lying for _years_ ever since that night. To Konoha. To the Akatsuki. 

To Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes drift down to the min-nin panicking in the jar. The little shinobi can't understand him regardless, so why should Itachi lie when he doesn't have to? Even if the tiny shinobi could understand him, it's not like the min-nin can speak... So maybe...maybe before he and Sasuke have their final battle, Itachi can finally be honest with someone. Have one last honest relationship, even if it's only with a min-nin who hates him.

The min-nin might not be able to understand him or talk back, but it's not like Itachi has anything to lose anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who supported this story, I got this chapter done in five days 😊 I hope it was a fun read! 
> 
> Next time: Chibi Sasuke meets some Akatsuki members, and struggles to understand why human Itachi is acting so odd...


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke's min-nin gradually calms down over the course of their five-hour journey to the waterfall. Maybe that's because like Itachi the miniature shinobi has rationalized his brother is too skilled to have died in a mere bird crash. Or perhaps the min-nin is simply too tired to panic anymore.

Sasuke's counterpart is leaning against the jar wall like the only things keeping him up are pride and sheer strength of will, and he winces when Kisame and Itachi walk behind the waterfall to enter a short cavern. The rushing water likely resembles thunder to his little ears, so Itachi moves a bit faster down the tunnel until the waterfall is a dull thudding behind him. Kisame eyes Itachi curiously when he reaches the hideout entrance first—Itachi never was one to rush—before undoing the lock seals.

Itachi steps in quickly to avoid his partner's scrutiny, but only gets three feet inside before the blond on the couch springs up and strides over.

"Did you get it?" Deidara asks, approaching with an eager shine to his blue orbs while he rubs his hands together.

Itachi considers walking past him without a word, but already Deidara's eyes have landed on the jar, and soon he invades Itachi's personal space.

"Wow! It's real! Look at its little clothes and stuff, un!" The bomber bends over to examine the jar's occupant up-close, and Sasuke's min-nin pushes off the wall and backs up into the jar's center, glancing between Itachi and Deidara like he can't decide which would be worst to stand near.

"Heeey," Deidara squints, sending a critical look to Itachi, then the min-nin. "This thing kinda looks like you."

"That's because it's an Uchiha," Kisame enters and gestures to Sasuke's counterpart. "Technically it's Itachi's younger brother, just a miniature version of him."

"What!?" Deidara gapes, and Itachi leaves while Kisame explains everything to the bomber.

He slips into a side tunnel, briefly stopping by the restroom to grab what he needs from the medicine cabinet, and walking on until he reaches the third bedroom.

Itachi closes the door behind him and turns to the square table jammed in the corner. He sets the jar on it next to the long glass container already there.

Sasuke's counterpart glares at the cage, realizing Itachi plans to put him in it, and squares his shoulders like he's gearing up for a fight while Itachi places down the rubbing alcohol bottle, bandage roll, ointment jar, and cotton swab.

Itachi wishes he could simply place the min-nin in the cage and be done with it. However, the tiny shinobi is injured and Itachi can't leave him with a rudimentary splint. That's just asking for an infection to develop.

Still, Itachi knows this experience will be unpleasant for the both of them as he opens the jar and snatches the min-nin up.

The shinobi struggles instantly, squirming and bucking within his hold so violently it appears he's having a seizure. Itachi has to tighten his grip to ensure the min-nin doesn't slip out, and when the tiny ninja rears his head back, Itachi presses his thumb lightly under his chin so he can't dip his head down and bite him.

"Calm down. I need to treat your leg," Itachi says in case the min-nin can understand and be reasoned with.

Yet, he either doesn't hear him or doesn't care because Sasuke's counterpart gnashes his teeth and tilts his head aside to gnaw at Itachi's thumb, but Itachi presses a little harder on the min-nin's neck until he can't move his head at all. Then Itachi waits, unmoving while the teenager continues to wrench against his fingers, his tiny nails scraping at Itachi's palm and his chest heaving against Itachi's fingers.

Itachi is considering placing the min-nin under a genjutsu before he hurts himself when the little Uchiha starts to slow, his wild bucks dwindling into sporadic spasms. Soon the shinobi's energy is completely spent, and he sags, panting so heavily Itachi can hear his every breath.

Itachi waits ten seconds after the min-nin's last futile scratch at his hand before removing his thumb from his throat. The min-nin of course tries to nip him, but Itachi merely pushes back his neck again, and asks, "Are you almost done?"

Sasuke's counterpart glares death at him, but Itachi ignores this, explaining. "I'm going to treat your leg. The less you struggle, the sooner I can let you go."

The little Sasuke's expression doesn't change, and Itachi sighs as he lowers the min-nin onto the table, laying him flat on his back and pressing his hand firmly over the small shinobi's torso so he can't rise.

Sasuke's counterpart writhes under his fingers, growling when Itachi tugs up his cloak with his free hand until the min-nin's injured leg is exposed. He waits for the little Sasuke to simmer down before untying the twig from his leg.

The min-nin's breath hitches, face draining of color and expression contorting with pain despite how carefully Itachi extracts the twig from his limb. Then setting it aside, Itachi opens the alcohol bottle, picks up the cotton swab, and dips the tip in the liquid before gently running the cotton up and down the min-nin's leg, cleaning away dirt and sand grains. While letting his leg dry, Itachi dunks the other end of the swab in the jar of light green ointment and repeats the process.

Once he's finished, Itachi checks the min-nin's face for any signs of pain, but the tiny shinobi is staring off into space, clearly trying to pretend this isn't happening. Itachi understands, he wouldn't appreciate being manhandled either, especially by an enemy ninja. Frankly, this probably hurts the min-nin's pride more than anything.

Quickly Itachi pulls the small, gray accessory from his cloak pocket. It's a plastic leg splint, an item from a dress-up doll collection, but when Itachi saw it in the Suna-nin's shop, he figured it would fit the min-nin well enough.

The little Sasuke shudders when Itachi sets his broken leg in the splint and secures it with the velcro straps, but otherwise doesn't react until Itachi picks him up. The min-nin claws at Itachi's knuckles since Itachi didn't trap his arms this time, but Itachi ignores the minor pain as he sets the min-nin in the glass cage. The small shinobi limps away immediately while Itachi secures the plastic lid over it, making sure the chakra-restraint activates.

"Try to stay off your leg unless it's necessary," Itachi tells the miniature Sasuke, though the teenager doesn't look back as he examines the other objects in the cage. "I will provide water and nourishment for you later."

The min-nin still doesn't look back, which is fine. It hurts seeing any Sasuke's face so full of bitterness and hate when Itachi knows it's his fault his sweet little brother turned out so wrathful.

Itachi turns, grabbing the ointment and bandages and walking over to his bed. He removes his cloak, sits on the mattress edge, and scoops up a glob of ointment, rubbing it over the blisters on his arm where the miniature Sasuke electrocuted him.

He pretends not to notice the min-nin watching him as he winds a strip of bandage around his arm to help the ointment stay on and lessen the pain while the injury heals.

When he's finished, Itachi puts his cloak back on, gathers all the medical supplies, and leaves the room without looking back.

**—**

Sasuke watches Oki-Itachi depart with a blank expression, but once the bedroom door closes, he scowls. "He deserved it." Sasuke crosses his arms. "I should have fried his whole body." The Chibi growls, remembering how Oki-Itachi had the _gall_ to sound disappointed when he asked, _"Are you almost done?"_

As if Sasuke was an unruly child throwing a tantrum and not a shinobi trying to escape his missing-nin captors.

Sasuke seethes. "Lecturing me like he's my brother..."

The Chibi freezes the second the words leave his mouth, recalling the sight of his brother's crow spiraling out of the night sky and crashing into the earth with a sickening crack. Sasuke hasn't eaten since yesterday, but his stomach churns at the possibility his dear brother might be de—

Sasuke shakes his head. No. Nii-san isn't dead. He _can't_ be. Their plan might have gone awry, but Itachi is a fast-thinker, he would have thought of something when his crow started to fall.

_But if Itachi is fine, why hasn't he come for me?_

The question causes Sasuke to fall against the glass wall, sliding down it until he sits with his legs stretched out and hands balled in his lap. _Please._ Surely that time in the shop wouldn't be his last memory of his brother...

"I'm going to create a shadow clone once the chakra-restraint wears off," Itachi says, eyeing the seal on the glass container. "My clone will create a diversion to help you escape, but if he can't get you out, I will have already escaped and shall be waiting outside." He turns to Sasuke, who is watching attentively from his seat on the floor. "I will summon a crow once all of my chakra returns and follow the missing-nin who buys you. When their guard is down, I will place them under a genjutsu and free you."

Sasuke nods, but is frowning. "And if I can't get my sandal in place, if we both get caught?"

Itachi lowers himself and catches his brother's chin, gently tilting it up. "Have a little faith in yourself, Sasuke, and trust me. We'll get home, no matter what."

Sasuke feels his face warm, and he looks away as his brother lets him go. "I know, Nii-san," he rubs the back of his neck and musters a smile, "I always trust you."

Sasuke doesn't want that to be the last time he ever sees Itachi. It can't be. It _can't_.

Sasuke braces himself against the wall and stands, searching the cage. It's obvious the missing-nin were planning to procure a Chibi shinobi for some time now because there's a beanbag next to a piece of cloth stuffed in the corner that is probably supposed to be his bedding, and two empty plastic bowls on the other side of the cage. As if he's a pet gerbil in need of feeding.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but his expression falls when he realizes there's nothing here that can help him escape. He can't jump high enough to reach the ceiling, and even if he stacked all the "furniture" to reach the cover, the Chibi doubts he could lift it.

The small ninja hobbles over to the green beanbag and sits on the plush cushion, sinking back and closing his eyes. He's tired, hungry, injured, and trapped. His only hope is his brother who might be dead, and maybe that's why when he falls asleep, he dreams of the day he first met Itachi.

Sasuke was born like every Chibi, on the day his Oki counterpart first uses chakra, which in Sasuke's case is when the Oki produces a tiny flame under his father's guidance at age four.

Chibi-Sasuke wakes up four-years old at the edge of a lake under a foggy gray sky, blinking groggily as he sits up. His brand new body fails him when he first tries to stand and he splashes back into the shallow water, getting mud on his shorts and gravel in his hair. Wet now, Sasuke shivers as he rises and instinctively heads to the tall grass on a nearby hill to avoid being seen by humans.

While he climbs up the incline, tripping often but determined to reach the top, brief images of a man and woman with dark eyes and fair skin flash across his mind next to a boy of similar appearance.

 _His parents_ , a voice in his head supplies.

Next, a snapshot of a bedroom with an open window and wooden shuriken littering the floor pops up, and Sasuke knows it's his destination, but the image fades when Sasuke spots an older boy standing by the base of a tree. He has four kunai in his hand, poised like he's about to throw them at the tree trunk until he notices Sasuke and they slip from his fingers as he gapes.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke calls instinctively, and the older boy rushes over, dropping to his knees once he reaches him.

"Sasuke," his big brother smiles widely, settling his hand on Sasuke's hair. "We've been waiting for you."

"You have?" Sasuke cocks his head. "Sorry I made you wait."

Itachi shakes his head. "No, don't worry about it, all Chibi come at their own time."

"Chibi?" Sasuke asks, but Itachi just gets up and reaches down to take Sasuke's muddy hand.

"Let's go home, Sasuke." Itachi beams, and his hand is so warm Sasuke never wants to let go, but he has to when his new body fails him halfway to their house. Though it turns out for the best when Itachi carries him the rest of the way, and Sasuke's whole body warms up as he nuzzles into his brother's chest.

Their parents are surprised to see him, but Mother quickly gets over her shock to gush at how cute Sasuke is. Father is disappointed Sasuke hadn't arrived earlier—Itachi showed up when he was three and walked himself home without help—but eventually welcomes the newest addition to their family.

Itachi doesn't let Sasuke go for the rest of the day, except while he bathes to rid himself of the mud, and when Sasuke asks why, Itachi grins and says, "I'm just so happy to be your big brother."

Sasuke jerks awake, coughing and choking on the humid air while a couple of tears trickle down his face. Though he can't produce anymore teardrops when his whole body feels drier than a prune in the desert.

Through the haze of dehydration and his violent coughing fit, Sasuke sees the little water bowl has been filled. He stumbles up, but the world fades in and out, and he regrets not eating those granola crumbs earlier because he thinks he might pass out before he can drink the water.

Still, Sasuke forces himself to put one foot forward after another, swaying with every step. For some reason the water bowl looks like it's getting farther the more distance he crosses, and Sasuke is worried this means the water is a mirage, but if it is, it doesn't really matter, because Sasuke doesn't make it halfway across the cage before he falls in what feels like slow-motion.

Suddenly large fingers hook around his waist, catching him, and Sasuke blinks blearily at the painted fingernails—purple nail polish really isn't this guy's color.

The two fingers gently urge Sasuke ahead and he stumbles foreward, draped over the two fingers like they're a crutch. Together they slowly make their way to the water bowl, and upon reaching it, Sasuke cups his trembling hands and dips them in the cool liquid, bringing the water to his lips and practically inhaling the too small drink. He takes a dozen more sips, soothing his throat and filling his belly until he's so full of water he likens a ship about to capsize.

Breathing hard from the overexertion, Sasuke just hangs for a minute, completely immobile atop the fingers. However, as his mind clears, Sasuke realizes the fingers are an oddity, so trails them up until he sees Oki-Itachi standing over the open cage. For a moment, Sasuke is too shocked to do anything, but then he remembers all the other times Oki-Itachi helped him today and grows confused. Oki-Itachi made sure Sasuke was warmed by the fire last night, tried to share his granola bar with him, and even went out of his way to find a splint that fit his Chibi leg. Why was the human being so nice?

_It must be a trick. I shouldn't fall for it._

Sasuke doesn't understand why he's so distrustful of Oki-Itachi until he recalls everything that happened before today.

Sasuke is eight-years old when the Chibi Uchiha run out of food. The Third Hokage offers to help, and many of the other Chibi clans offer a portion of their meals to the Uchiha. Yet Fugaku is stubborn, and will not accept charity. Not until the former Hokage stops by their house, Minato's tan face graying at the sight of Sasuke's bony body.

The blond slams his hands on the table, and hisses. "Fugaku-san," Minato glares, "Do not let pride be what kills your clan." His face softens. "At least let us feed the children."

Fugaku relents, accepting the food for the children and the civilian Uchiha. However, he sends out their shinobi population to hunt and gather, but it's hard to take down even a squirrel when most of the Uchiha have lost the majority of their chakra.

For the Chibi and Oki are connected, and when their Oki counterparts die, much of the Chibi Uchiha's chakra dies with them.

It begins with Shisui, who loses his Sharingan in one eye the day his Oki counterpart perishes, and now only has enough chakra to perform some jutsu and a single summoning. Similarly, Izumi can't use her Sharingan at all, and a few other Uchiha share her infirmity, while the rest of the clan can only maintain their Sharingan for a few minutes.

Sasuke and Itachi are the only ones unaffected, and now talk follows them everywhere. For Sasuke, there are offers to train him and pass down secret Uchiha ninjutsu since Sasuke might be the last Uchiha child with full strength. However, for Itachi, it's all suspicious mummers and hushed accusations.

Glares now follow Itachi everywhere in the compound, as do whispers like—

_"Will he kill us too?"_

_"I bet he conspired with his Oki!"_

Itachi never wavers under their distrust, and doesn't even bat an eye when a group of Uchiha warn Shisui right in front of him to stay away from Itachi because, "We all know his Oki killed Shisui's counterpart, he'll do the same to you."

Sasuke hates himself for being the one to tell his clan what Oki-Itachi did, even though other Chibi Uchiha reported seeing Itachi's counterpart kill the Oki Uchiha too, but eventually Sasuke just hates Oki-Itachi. He hates the human for making his clan starve, for causing so many deaths because hunting is dangerous when most of their shinobi can barely use their Sharingan, and a lot of the civilians aren't strong enough to protect themselves from the animals that break into their now abandoned homes.

Chibi Uchiha life is tough these days, and Oki-Itachi is too far and powerful to hold responsible, so all the blame falls on Sasuke's brother.

It's why Father sends Itachi away when Sasuke is eight. The clan has decided to split up to make life easier on everybody. Half of them will travel to the city of Sora-ku where the clan has a pact with the ninja cats there, who promise to protect and provide for them. The rest will stay in Konoha.

Itachi, because he is the clan heir and strongest Chibi Uchiha, is the perfect candidate to lead the group in Sora-ku while Fugaku manages the ones in Konoha. Sasuke wants to go with his brother, like Shisui and Izumi volunteered to, but since Sasuke is the only other Uchiha with unimpaired chakra, Father wants him to stay in Konoha so the power is balanced for both groups.

Sasuke cries the whole night before Itachi's departure, and in the morning, refuses to let his brother go. Their parents have to pry him off Itachi, Sasuke kicking and screaming the whole time, but Itachi can't leave his little brother in such a state, so he takes Sasuke in his arms and walks over to the docks at the lake.

He sits on the edge and hugs Sasuke tight while the eight-year old bawls into his shoulder. "It's my fault they're sending you away! I shouldn't have told them what Oki-Itachi did! That's why everyone hates you, Nii-san, it's all my fault!"

Itachi rubs circles on his back and tells Sasuke he is not to blame. When the sky darkens Sasuke knows their time has come to an end and he thinks he's all out of tears until Itachi presses their foreheads together and vows. "I will always love you."

Then Itachi takes him home, and Sasuke watches him disappear into the tunnel beneath the gnarled tree root leading the crowd of Uchiha to Sora-ku. Sasuke watches until the last Uchiha disappears into the tunnel, and even after that, Sasuke lingers.

Itachi doesn't return to Konoha for five years, and Sasuke doesn't see him again until he's thirteen.

Sasuke's hands curl around the fingers holding him, hate boiling his blood and rage ravaging his mind. It's Oki-Itachi's fault his clan has fallen so far. It's his fault the Chibi Uchiha clan have to fight for every meal. It's his fault Nii-san was banished for five years, and now his brother might be dead because Oki-Itachi sat back and watched the sharkman kill him.

Sasuke wrenches off the human hand and chomps hard on the Oki's finger. He bites until he breaks through skin, and only once he sees a line of blood welling does Sasuke let go and back up to glare at Oki-Itachi.

The human's face is devoid of expression, as if he doesn't feel anything, and the Oki doesn't, does he? Because Oki-Itachi is a cold-hearted, unfeeling monster and Sasuke _hates_ him. He will _always_ hate him, and shall _never_ forgive him.

Oki-Itachi doesn't say anything while he pulls his hand out of the container and puts the lid back on. Sasuke expects him to leave then, but Oki-Itachi stares at him for a moment before he whispers, "I am sorry, for everything, Little Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widen, but already Oki-Itachi is heading out the room and shutting the door behind him, leaving the Chibi to stare after him in stunned confusion.

**—**

Itachi walks into his bedroom and immediately looks over to the glass cage. Approaching the square table, he's surprised to see the min-nin asleep on the beanbag, but Sasuke's counterpart did expend a lot of energy fighting Itachi, and was undoubtedly tired prior to their altercation. Still, it amazes Itachi to see his little face so relaxed, the lack of a scowl shaving years off the min-nin until he resembles a young child. Itachi wonders if his own brother looks this innocent when he sleeps, but snips the thought before it can go further.

Itachi turns away from the min-nin, and his eyes land on the empty bowls. He soon decides now would be the best time to fill them, so quietly removes the cage lid and takes one of the plastic basins, filling it with water from the kitchen sink. He's setting the bowl back inside the cage, and pondering which food item to put into the other bowl, when the little Sasuke's face twitches. Itachi thinks it's because he was being too loud, but the min-nin starts crying and Itachi realizes he's having a nightmare.

The twenty-year old doesn't get to decide whether to intervene as the boy suddenly wakes up coughing and wheezing. The tiny shinobi appears dazed, squinting and teetering when he stands without noticing Itachi's looming presence above him. Instinctively Itachi catches the little ninja as he falls because for a moment all Itachi saw was his kid brother tripping over his two feet in his eagerness to catch up with Itachi, and he doesn't want Sasuke to get scraped knees.

Itachi continues to assist the shinobi until the min-nin is properly hydrated, though he's concerned when the little shinobi remains in a stupor. However, his expression slowly morphs into one of clarity, and it's all too evident the moment when Sasuke's counterpart recognizes him, rage swiftly replacing his docile features. Yet Itachi doesn't stop him from biting his finger because Itachi understands the min-nin is just scared and frustrated. It's obvious min-nin think and feel no differently from humans. Yet, Itachi helped to trap and capture the min-nin as if he was an animal. While not the worst crime Itachi has committed since he became a missing-nin, because it's Sasuke—his little brother's face glaring up at him—and the tiny shinobi probably won't understand anyway, Itachi apologizes.

Then he bolts. Itachi walks briskly through the tunnel feeling off-kilter because his words to the min-nin were one of the most honest things he's said in a long time. There's also the name that slipped out, "Little Sasuke," which bothers him, and the question of why Itachi called the min-nin such an affectionate term.

Soon Itachi is standing outside by the waterfall, attempting to calm his racing heart. His chest twinges with the urge to cough due to his illness being aggravated whenever he exerts himself, but Itachi holds it in while he stares up at the twilight orange sky.

Yet Itachi can’t properly appreciate the pinks and yellows of the setting sun before a dark spot in the bright horizon captures his attention. 

The Uchiha holds out his arm once the crow is near, allowing it to land. 

"Did you find him?" Itachi asks.

The bird cranes its neck to drop something small and leathery in Itachi's palm. Itachi looks down to see a miniature saddle in his hand.

"This was all you found?" He doesn't look up as the crow caws an affirmative, and Itachi dismisses the summon while he ponders the evidence.

That's the second crow Itachi has sent to his counterpart's crash site. He was hoping to retrieve the injured min-nin in secret, but it seems his counterpart might not need his help. Though there is a possibility the min-nin's body was already eaten by scavengers, but the dead crow's body remains untouched so Itachi finds that unlikely.

Itachi faces the sinking sun again before looking down at the drop of blood racing down his forefinger.

_"You and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you... Even if you do hate me. That's what big brothers are for."_

Itachi stares off into the darkening sky and wonders how much longer he must wait until he finds permanent relief at his little brother's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all those who are supporting this story! I hope this was an enjoyable read, but know that I might have to slow down on my updating after this chapter to work on my other stories.
> 
> If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and even if you don't, know that your comments are welcomed!
> 
> Next time: Sasuke still can't figure out human Itachi, and the Chibi has a strange encounter with 'Tobi'!


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke stares at the closed door for minutes—maybe _hours_ —before he shakes off his shock. Then he backs up in his cage and falls bonelessly onto the green beanbag behind him.

 _It's a lie,_ Sasuke is sure of it. Oki-Itachi's apology is a lie meant to trick him, just like all the other nice things he did for Sasuke earlier. They have to be lies...but then why did the Oki _verbalize_ his apology to Sasuke? What was the point in Oki-Itachi _verbally_ lying to Sasuke when he's under the impression the Chibi doesn't understand human speech...unless Oki-Itachi said it specifically because he thought Sasuke couldn't understand him, so he wouldn't have to feel embarrassed about apologizing _genuinely_.

For a second Sasuke dares to consider if Oki-Itachi has realized the error of his ways and the apology was an attempt to get it off his chest, but then Sasuke remembers what the sharkman said.

_"It's bad enough we're going to have to delay its training."_

The Chibi's brow furrows as he recalls the sharkman mentioning he needs to undergo some type of training. This "training" is probably related to whatever these missing-nin want to use him for, and must involve Oki-Itachi, otherwise the sharkman wouldn't have said, _"The min-nin being your brother's counterpart should make it easier to train... You're already connected."_

So Oki-Itachi is supposed to be "training" Sasuke, and to do that, the Oki needs to connect with him?

Sasuke's expression darkens, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat. No wonder Oki-Itachi kept acting so nice and gave him that fake apology, the human _needs_ Sasuke to bond with him. The Oki doesn't actually regret any of the suffering he's caused, and even if he did it doesn't change what he's done!

Sasuke punches down on the beanbag, his fist sinking into the cushion and quaking with rage. To think Sasuke almost fell for the Oki's act when he of all Chibi should know better. Sasuke's counterpart and he both learned how great of an actor human Itachi was on that night when Oki-Itachi admitted he'd been pretending to be a kind, caring older brother while all along the man really only sought power and to test his abilities.

Sasuke's jaw clenches, hate mounting in his chest like lava about to erupt from a volcano. However, the Chibi's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

Sasuke sits up, listening to the footsteps stop outside the room and hesitate by the door. Immediately he knows it can't be Oki-Itachi right as the door flies open and crashes into the cavern wall.

Sasuke flinches at the noise while the blond shinobi from earlier strides into the room, his blue eyes flitting about the space until he spots the cage.

"Ah, there you are!" The blond's face lights up, and Sasuke doesn't like the curious gleam in his eyes as he nears.

"Deidara-senpai!" A man wearing an orange mask pokes his head into the room, glancing around nervously. "I don't think this is a good idea, Itachi-san might get mad if he finds out you went into his room!"

The blond—Deidara—rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Yeah, right." He bends down so his giant face hovers over Sasuke, who stands up to feel a little less vulnerable. "When have you ever seen Itachi get mad, or yell? I bet he doesn't even have feelings!" He snarked.

"Ooh!" The masked man exclaims loudly enough to grate on Sasuke's nerves. "I didn't think about that! You're so smart, senpai!"

Deidara bares his teeth victoriously, and his smile reminds Sasuke of a cat's leer when it spots a mouse. "Of course, I'm a genius, un!" The blond boasts while the masked man approaches him from behind, only to gasp upon seeing Sasuke.

"Woow!" The man leans over Deidara to get a closer look, shoving the blond to the floor in the process. "It's so tiny and cute!" He gushes, his lone black eye peeking through a hole in his mask, and Sasuke backs away as far as he can from him because there's something off about the masked man, a quiet malevolence swirling in his gaze that's at odds with his childish demeanor.

"Tobi!" Deidara snarls, lurching up and purposely head-butting Tobi's stomach as he rises.

The masked man chokes and falls to the floor, clutching his stomach while Deidara shouts over his whimpering. "You idiot! You almost broke my nose!" The blond rubs the bruise already forming on his snout and glares over his hand. "Stop being so clumsy!"

Tobi curls up in a fetal position. "I'm sorry, senpai! I won't do it again."

Deidara scowls. "You better not," he warns, though his expression morphs into a smirk as he turns to Sasuke. "Just get out, and let me know when Itachi comes back."

"But I thought you didn't care if Itachi-san catches you—"

"Tobi—" Deidara hisses through clenched teeth, glaring over his shoulder and Tobi scrambles to his feet with a fearful cry, running out and slamming the door behind him.

"Newbies..." Deidara scoffs before looking back at Sasuke with a sharp smile.

The Chibi moves into a fighting stance, raising his arms in front of his chest and adjusting his footing for better balance, but this merely amuses the human.

"Aww," Deidara coos mockingly, "Look at the little ninja trying to act tough."

Sasuke narrows his eyes, but can't do more while the blond unlocks the cage and sets the top aside on the table. The Chibi is considering leaping out and making a run for it when Deidara's hand snaps around his body faster than he can blink.

Then he's swung up so fast the wind rushes past his ears while Deidara squeezes him bruisingly tight.

"Oh, I can feel it's little heart racing. Is it scared?" Deidara pulls the Chibi up to his face and something inside Sasuke instinctively recoils at being so close to an Oki. Humans aren't supposed to know about Chibi kind, and it feels wrong having such a large being stare him down while the Oki's fingers keep him trapped, hand fully capable of crushing him at any moment.

Sasuke's unease mixed with the fact Deidara is holding him tightly enough to aggravate his injured leg motivates Sasuke to take a chance and bite the blond's thumb.

"Ow!" Deidara nearly drops him, having not anticipated Sasuke biting him like Oki-Itachi had, and Sasuke wiggles in the looser hold until he's freed one arm, but then Deidara's grip tightens and Sasuke chokes.

" _You_ ," Deidara hisses. "You think you're better than me just like him!" He glares while Sasuke gasps for air, wondering what in the world Deidara is talking about until he recalls the blond pointing out his resemblance to Itachi. Is that what this is? Deidara came in here to take out his disdain for Itachi on Sasuke just because they look similar?

The Chibi is mildly miffed by the comparison to Itachi's counterpart, but is more focused on finding a way out of his situation when the human brings him closer to his face and demands. "Don't you?"

The Chibi is struck by an idea then and sucks in a deep breath like he's about to speak, something the blond notices and is genuinely shocked by.

Except it's not words that come out of Sasuke's mouth, but saliva, which he spits straight into Deidara's eye.

The giant yelps, his grip loosening as he slaps a hand over his afflicted eye, and the Chibi uses his free arm to lug himself out of the shinobi's hold.

"H-hey!" The blond releases his eye, but can't move fast enough as Sasuke dives under Deidara's cloak sleeve and starts crawling up his arm.

The world is dark and muggy under the cloth, the skin beneath him slick and hard to grip, yet Sasuke doesn't stop even as the Oki shouts. "What are you doing!?"

Sasuke clambers over Deidara's elbow, his breath hot under the confined clothing while he climbs as fast as he can with his injured leg. He’s forced to stop though when Deidara's arm begins flapping down and up, bouncing the Chibi and making Sasuke cling to the limb as the blond tries to shake him loose.

"Get off!" Deidara growls while Sasuke starts to lose his grip, grunting when his bad leg smacks into his good one as Deidara's arm swings him back and forth. Yet desperate not to lose what might be his last chance to escape, Sasuke digs his nails into the Oki's skin.

Deidara shrieks, arm stilling as it seizes up with pain, and Sasuke uses the opportunity to crawl up to his shoulder while another Oki rushes into the room.

"Senpai?" Tobi sounds concerned. "What—"

"It's trying to escape!"

The cloth above Sasuke suddenly indents in the shape of a hand as Deidara's attempts to pin him through the cloak, but Sasuke throws himself over the Oki's shoulder, latching onto the inner fabric and sliding down it until he hangs below Deidara's neck where the Oki can't easily reach.

"It's on my back, get it!"

Sasuke should probably feel more concerned when the collar above him is pulled away, shinning light on his hiding place while Tobi peers down at him, but Sasuke can feel his chakra awakening and spreading steadily across his body like a warm ocean breeze. It's a matter of seconds before he regains all of his jutsu abilities, and though he needs a little more time, Sasuke is sure he can make it.

"Got it!" Tobi reaches down Deidara's back faster than Sasuke is expecting, but the Chibi swings himself over Tobi's hand, lands on the masked man's arm, and leaps just high enough to catch the end of Deidara's ponytail.

The blond yelps, reaching for his head, and Sasuke moves behind Deidara's ponytail so he can't be grabbed. "My hair!"

"Hold on, senpai!" Tobi pushes the ponytail aside and the Chibi doesn't move as Tobi plucks the back of Sasuke's cloak and yanks him up, not noticing that Sasuke has latched onto some of Deidara's hair.

"Ahh!" Deidara screeches shrilly while Sasuke maintains his grip even as a couple of blond strands are plucked out.

Tobi releases Sasuke, startled. "S-senpai?"

"What is going on in here?"

Sasuke recognizes the gruff voice coming from the doorway and smirks when the sharkman steps into this room because this was the distraction he was waiting for.

Tobi swivels towards the sharkman, waving his hands frantically. "It's nothing!"

"Why are you in Itachi's room?" The sharkman cuts him off, turning suspiciously to the blond who is wide-eyed. "And why does Diedara look like he's been fight—"

Sasuke clambers to the top of Deidara's head and stands, instantly capturing the sharkman's attention.

"Hey! The min-nin is—"

Sasuke's chakra flares like a firework going off in his body, and Sasuke drags every ounce of his newly-awakened chakra into his eyes, activating his three tomoe Sharingan.

The sharkman stiffens as Sasuke captures him in a genjutsu, and the Chibi leaps onto the immobile man's shoulder, not bothering to look back as the sharkman pulls out two kunai from his pocket and swiftly tosses them at Tobi and Deidara's heads.

"Kisame!?"

Sasuke smirks while the sound of fighting ensues behind him as he grabs the shark—Kisame's—cloak and slides down the man's back, hoping the missing-nin remains under the illusion he's surrounded by enemy ninja until he's made it out the room.

"Kai!"

Sasuke's hopes are dashed when one of the Oki frees Kisame from his genjutsu, but thankfully Sasuke is already at the bottom of Kisame's cloak and letting go of the edge to drop to the floor.

His broken leg stings on impact, but Sasuke forces himsef into an awkward sprint through the doorway when Deidara shouts. "It's getting away!"

The ground trembles beneath Sasuke's feet as the Oki shinobi chase after him into the hallway, merely a couple feet behind.

Yet Sasuke doesn't stop even as Tobi shunshins directly in front of him, the masked man's entire countenance deadly serious as he hisses. "You can't escape, little Uchiha."

A chill runs down Sasuke's spine at the drastic shift in personality, but the return of his chakra emboldens him, so Sasuke shunshins past the masked man until his broken leg forces him to stop in the base's living room.

The Chibi's leg drums with pain while he zeroes in on the cave entrance, which looks a mile away to Sasuke though it's actually only a few yards. Yet the Uchiha can't even consider making a run towards it as he spots two unfamiliar Oki ninja sitting on gray couches to the left of him. One of the missing-nin is lounging on the longer sofa, a huge red scythe set against the couch arm by his feet while the other missing-nin sits upright on the couch across from him, holding a pen over a ledger in his lap. Though the shinobi stiffens and his head snaps over to Sasuke when he senses the Chibi enter the area.

Green, pupilless eyes bore into Sasuke, and the Chibi's gaze darts longingly to the door when the man sets down his ledger and gets to his feet.

"There you are!" Deidara shouts behind Sasuke, and the Chibi doesn’t think before dashing under the nearest couch, which happens to be the one the scythe-wielder lies on.

Sasuke resists the urge to cough as dust floods his airways, and he pushes through the cobwebs and grime until his palm touches the wall the couch's back is set against, knowing it's the only place where the Oki can't reach him.

"So the korobokkuru has escaped," Kakuzu says in an even tone.

"The what?" The man with the scythe asks, sitting up based on how the couch springs groan above Sasuke.

"Korobokkuru is what we call min-nin in my Village."

"That unholy thing Leader bought is on the loose?"

Sasuke would be offended by the man's callous talk of him, but is too busy watching out for any grabby hands coming his way.

"So it would seem." Kakuzu's feet shift towards the right as he says, "I assume one of you let it escape."

Sasuke imagines the sudden silence is because Tobi and Kisame are staring at Deidara while the blond attempts to think of an excuse.

"Well, you see..."

"No matter," Kakuzu approaches the couch, and the cushion shifts above Sasuke as the scythe-wielder moves out of the way, muttering about how he doesn't want the 'unholy creature' to soil him. "I shall retrieve it." The man drops to his knees and lowers his head until his green eyes hone in on Sasuke. "A min-nin is too expensive to replace."

Kakuzu's hand creeps a few inches under the couch, and Sasuke prepares to stab the hand with his Chidori spear once it gets closer. However, Sasuke's gapes when the skin above the missing-nin's wrist unstitches itself, revealing gray tendrils that rise out of his arm like serpents.

The Chibi switches tactics right as the tendrils zip towards him, hands flying through six signs before he spits fire at them.

They all roast in the scarlet flames except for one, which whips around the fire to coil around Sasuke's ankle.

Sasuke cries out as he falls onto his back and is dragged forward by his bad foot. Yet through the haze of pain, an idea sparks in his mind, and Sasuke inhales a deep breath, building up chakra in his throat.

He waits to be pulled out from under the sofa and to see Kakuzu hovering over him before unleasheing a stream of fire up towards the green-eyed man's face.

"Woah!" The sycthe-weilder shouts in surprise while Kakuzu merely turns his head so the flames harmlessly bypass him. Yet the second his green eyes are off Sasuke, the Chibi's palm sparks with a lightning blade and he slices through the tendril tied to his ankle. Kakuzu refocuses on him, more tendrils rising from his arm, but Sasuke rolls to his feet and leaps up onto the couch cushion.

"I got it!" Deidara rushes forward as Sasuke bounces on the sofa, only for the Chibi to slash at the blond's hands with his Chidori spear, forcing the Oki back. Then Sasuke jumps up towards the sofa arm, intending to leap his way to freedom while using his lightning to keep the enemy ninja away, when suddenly an invisible force wraps around his body and freezes him midair.

 _What!?_ The Chibi's eyes widen and he unconsciously releases his Chidori spear as the force drags him past Deidara and Kisame's shocked faces and dumps him onto an unfamiliar Oki's pale hand.

The human's fingers close around him and Sasuke immediately unleashes lightning over his body, but the hand around him doesn't so much as twitch in response.

Sasuke stops releasing electricity, his Sharingan eyes widening because surely the human is in pain. Yet the hand around his body is secure, so Sasuke throws back his head to see what type of person could handle his lightning.

Just to choke at the sight of two violet _Rinnegan_ eyes staring him down until the red-headed man turns aside. "Itachi." Sasuke twists left to see Oki-Itachi standing behind the man near the base's entrance, his ebony gaze resting on Sasuke. "I thought you said the min-nin was injured."

"He is," Oki-Itachi steps forward, brow furrowing slightly as he takes in Sasuke's frazzled appearance. "His leg is broken."

The Rinnegan man gives Sasuke a calculating look and the Chibi trembles at the sight of the legendary dōjutsu. "Yet despite this, the min-nin managed to escape its cage, elude several S-rank shinobi, and even injury one of them."

Deidara scoffs. "It didn't injury me!" He glares at Sasuke while smoothing down his hair, though some parts still stick up as he stutters. "I just fell.”

Oki-Itachi's eyes shift to the blond and narrow. "You fell in _my_ room?" His voice turns icy. "And I suppose you just happened to knock off the cage lid as you fell, allowing the min-nin to escape?"

Everyone except the man with the Rinnegan is taken aback by the thinly-veiled accusation in Oki-Itachi's voice, having never seen the Uchiha so outright antagonistic.

"Ha!" The scythe-wielder cuts through the tension, cackling loudly. "I guess there are emotions in that blasphemous husk of yours, huh, Itachi?" Then a manic grin upturns his lips as he side-eyes the blond. "How about I sacrifice Deidara to Jashin-sama? He's clearly a nuisance and I bet his blood will be pleasing to—"

"I am not upset with Deidara."

All the shinobi turn to the redhead as he says, "Though I hope Deidara will not be so reckless in the future." The blond shrinks under the man's gaze, hearing the warning in his tone until the man looks back at Sasuke. "But even if it was by accident, Deidara has revealed the min-nin is capable of fighting despite its injury."

Oki-Itachi stiffens, but doesn't say anything while his leader says, "Let the min-nin rest for three days, then you must begin its training, Itachi."

The Uchiha nods, though there's a tightness around his mouth while he speaks. "Yes, Pain-sama." He raises his hand and Pain sets the shell-shocked Chibi in Oki-Itachi's palm.

Yet the tiny ninja can't do a thing before the larger Uchiha's eyes bleed into his Mangekyō Sharingan, and Sasuke's lesser eyes are no match for the genjutsu order that slams into his brain.

Then the world spirals into a kaleidoscope of red and black, and Sasuke is dunked into an ocean so dark he can't see his own hands in front of him as he sinks into oblivion.

**—**

Sasuke wakes up on the beanbag in his glass cage, a soft cloth draped over his body and dull orange light warming his skin. Yet Sasuke feels cold as he sits up, muscles aching, head spinning, and chakra so absent it feels like someone carved a hole in his chest.

After some seconds, the vertigo passes, but Sasuke feels no better. The Chibi stares blankly at the wall ahead, the stench of failure diluting his senses while he blinks at the gray heat lamp next to his cage on the table, which certainly wasn't there earlier. Though the lamp's warmth isn't unwelcome, it does nothing to lift Sasuke's mood because Sasuke is locked up again. This time for good. No more second chances, no more escape attempts, Sasuke is truly trapped this time.

Sasuke hangs his head and maybe would have lamented forever if the door didn't suddenly creak open. An Oki steps into the room, but Sasuke doesn't turn around, knowing who it is.

"You're awake," Oki-Itachi says quietly, walking up to his cage.

Sasuke doesn't acknowledge his words, and a full minute passes in silence before he hears the cage top being opened. The Chibi drags his eyes up and stands when Oki-Itachi dips his hand into the container because Sasuke has had enough manhandling today.

Yet Oki-Itachi's hand never strays from the other end of the cage as the human deposits something into his food bowl. Sasuke watches Oki-Itachi's hand leave warily so doesn't see what he's been given until the Oki secures the cage top and Sasuke turns to the food bowl. His eyes widen.

"I remember my mother used to complain about rabbits sneaking into her garden, nibbling on her fruits at night." Oki-Itachi watches the min-nin slowly approach the plump tomato sitting in his food bowl, nearly as tall as him. "But eventually she noticed the bite marks were too small to come from a rabbit, and the mouth size didn't match any animal she knew of."

Oki-Itachi stops there, but Sasuke doubts he needs the Chibi to confirm the truth. To explain that when they were kids, Itachi used to take Sasuke to the Oki garden at night. It was only on special occasions, like when Sasuke had a bad dream or Itachi needed some fresh air, and his brother only ever took him out after sunset since daytime was too risky—though Sasuke always thought that made the experience more magical.

They used to play hide-and-seek under the peppermint leaves, inhaling their sweet scent and using the fireflies fluttering above to find each other in the darkness. Sasuke would slide down the chili pepper stems, his brother catching him at the bottom, before they’d tie the vines into a makeshift swing and ride it together while eating their fill of juicy fruits. Sometimes they even went over to the koi pond, Sasuke marveling at the giant fishes' glittering scales while they drifted up to the water's surface.

Sasuke's stomach growls, disrupting the memory, and Sasuke clutches his abdomen as pain blossoms in the pit of his gut. He hasn't eaten all day, and though he's faced far worse starvation in the past, his hunger mixed with his worry over Itachi's fate as well as the stress from trying to escape three times in the past day have left Sasuke famished.

Still, he can feel Oki-Itachi's eyes on him and the Chibi won't give in to the human's attempt to get into Sasuke's good graces. He won't fall for such false kindness again.

Someone knocks on the bedroom door and Oki-Itachi moves to unlock the entrance—was there always a lock there?

Kisame stands in the doorway, and Oki-Itachi shifts aside so he can walk in. The older man raises a brow at Sasuke's stance, his crossed arms and face turned away from the tomato even as his Chibi stomach cries with hunger.

"Still being stubborn, huh?" Kisame turns to Itachi. "I can't tell if that's an Uchiha thing or just a you two thing." He gestures between the Chibi and Oki Uchiha while Sasuke scowls at the comparison because Oki-Itachi is _nothing_ like his kind older brother.

Oki-Itachi ignores the teasing and says, "It's Konoha protocol not to accept food from enemy shinobi after one's been captured, as most Konoha-nin would prefer to starve rather than sell out their comrades." His raven eyes stare deep into Sasuke's. "I suspect the min-nin of Konoha have a similar protocol, but it's pointless for him to follow it now when we won't be using him against his own kind."

Though Oki-Itachi is speaking to Kisame, his eyes remain on Sasuke and the Chibi can tell he's being addressed even as Oki-Itachi looks away.

"Well, if that's what you think is best," Kisame turns to leave. "I'll let our leader know we got the min-nin to eat."

Oki-Itachi closes the door behind him, twisting a lock over the knob before moving towards the dresser by his bed. He removes his cloak and Sasuke looks away as the human gets prepared for bed, both of them ignoring how Sasuke's stomach releases another piercing wail while the tomato twinkles enticingly under the lamplight. Regardless, even after Oki-Itachi retires to bed, Sasuke refuses to give in as he lays back on the beanbag, determined to suffer through hunger pains all night long if he has to.

**—**

The next morning Itachi slips on his cloak, ties back his hair, and is making his way out the door when he stops to check on the min-nin.

His lips twitch as he takes in the tiny shinobi curled up on his beanbag, stomach bulging under his cloak while only the tomato stem and seeds remain in his food bowl.

A spark of amusement lifts the corner of Itachi's mouth as he whispers. "Sleep well, Little Sasuke," before closing the door gently behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me months to update, but I had writer’s block for a while. Still, it will probably take some time for this story to update again since I’ve got a couple of other stories I want to focus on, but even if it does take another couple of months, know that I’m not planning on abandoning this story any time soon!
> 
> Also thanks for all the comments, kudos, and support :)
> 
> Next time: Sasuke adjusts to his new life with the Akatsuki...


	5. Chapter 5

Oki-Itachi's visits are like clockwork. He always drops off Sasuke's breakfast at exactly 9AM, then shows up every subsequent three hours until he delivers his dinner at 9PM. It's the easiest access to food Sasuke has had in years—though it's only been so hard because of what Oki-Itachi did—but more importantly, the Oki's punctuality allows Sasuke to keep track of time.

So the Chibi knows he's been with these missing-nin for three days, that it has also been three days since Sasuke watched his beloved brother fall out of the sky to a fate unknown, two days since he tried to escape, and one day before Oki-Itachi is supposed to start training him. Whatever that means.

Sasuke lays back on his beanbag, staring up at the cage lid while going through a mental list of all the missing-nin he's encountered so far.

Oki-Itachi, murderous sharkman Kisame, Uchiha-hater Deidara, probably has a split-personality Tobi, living ragdoll Kakuzu, psychotic scythe-wielder guy, and Pain their leader with the legendary Rinnegan.

The Chibi exhales, massaging his temples. He couldn't imagine a crazier bunch if he tried, and of course Oki-Itachi just has to be working with them. Though that's not too shocking considering Sasuke was told years ago Oki-Itachi joined some criminal organization after abandoning Konoha. He learned back when Oki-Itachi sent Oki-Sasuke to the hospital, having used Tsukuyomi on his poor younger brother a second time.

Still, Sasuke never expected to find himself among the human Akatsuki. Or, well, he's pretty sure that's who they are since they're wearing the trademark black cloaks with a red cloud pattern. Though Sasuke is more familiar with their Chibi counterparts who are primarily stationed in Amegakure according to Chibi Konoha intelligence, and aren't a band of criminals so much as a vigilante group striving for world peace.

Clearly the Oki Akatsuki are very different from the Chibi Akatsuki, but what Sasuke can't figure out is what do they need him for? Surely the advantages that come with Sasuke's smaller size aren't that impressive to a group of S-rank shinobi.

The door lock clicks, startling Sasuke from his pondering, and he quickly stands since he finished breakfast less than an hour ago, meaning Oki-Itachi shouldn't be back for another two hours. Yet the human that enters the room is in fact the Oki Uchiha, carrying a plastic bowl in his hands.

The Chibi watches warily as the human sets the bowl on the table, noticing the steam rising from it. Did the Oki bring him soup? Is this an extra meal?

His guess is proven incorrect when the Oki unlocks the cage, and Sasuke backs up while the human sets the tall bowl in a corner of the container. Sasuke's face crinkles with confusion as Oki-Itachi also lays down a white washcloth and two travel-size bottles, which are slightly shorter than Sasuke, beside it.

"I apologize for not providing you a means to clean yourself sooner." Sasuke's eyes widen, realizing what's happening. "But I thought it best if you had time to adjust to your new surroundings first."

Sasuke stuffs down his shock, pretending not to understand the Oki's words while he cautiously approaches what he can now see is a bowl of hot water. The warm air wafting above it sends a thrum of longing down to Sasuke's core because he hasn't been able to bathe for over a week, as prior to being captured there hadn't been any bodies of waters in Suna for him to wash up in, and after being locked up, the best Sasuke could do was splash some of his drinking water on his face since anything more would dirty the liquid.

"I'll return in two hours." Oki-Itachi tells him as he turns, pulls the door closed and leaves.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at the doorway, suspicious, but after five minutes of not hearing anybody so much as walk past the room, the Chibi relaxes. He's still cautious when he slips off his brother's torn cloak, reverently folding it and placing it on his beanbag, and he waits another five minutes before determining none of the Oki shinobi are around to disrupt him, perhaps too busy completing missions.

Yet Sasuke still feels paranoid until he dips his hand into the water and his whole arm goes lax as the heat permeates every muscle and tendon below his wrist. Everything afterwards is a blur of clothes being thrown off before Sasuke plunges into the steaming liquid.

His skin burns on contact, but it's a good sort of pain while Sasuke drifts weightlessly below the water. He floats back up, breaching the surface so his body bobs upon the waves his plunge made.

Sasuke releases a little laugh, smiling for the first time in days as the heat takes away all the aches and pains throughout his body, soothing his broken leg and brushing aside his worries until they fall away like leaves caught in the wind.

Eventually the water temperature drops, forcing Sasuke to open his eyes and ease into a stand. He shivers when the air touches his bare shoulders, quickly wading over to the travel-size bottles and squinting at their labels before unscrewing the green one's top and scooping out a little shampoo. He runs the gel through his hair, massaging his scalp and dunking under the water to rinse it off. He does the same with the white bottle, except he uses a corner of the washcloth to scrub on the almond-scented body wash.

By the time he's finished the water is freezing and Sasuke eagerly leaves it, drying himself off with the washcloth and wearing it like a cloak afterwards since it's too big to wrap around his waist. He glances at his white high-collar t-shirt and dark blue pants on the floor, but frowns at the stains on them. Sasuke doesn't want to wear soiled clothes after getting himself clean, so dumps them and Itachi's cloak into the water. He uses the soap gel to wash out the dirt and sweat and lays them on the bowl's rim to dry under the lamplight.

Oki-Itachi returns an hour later to find Sasuke clean, dressed and lounging on his beanbag. The Oki must notice Sasuke is more relaxed because his gaze lingers on the Chibi while he removes the bowl and toiletries. Though it could also be the fact Sasuke didn't put Itachi's cloak back on that's caught his attention since this would be his first time seeing Sasuke's true outfit.

"It looks like someone enjoyed their bath," Oki-Itachi says conversationally, and if he was Sasuke's actual brother he'd say there was teasing lit to his voice, but this monster is not his brother so Sasuke scowls at him.

If the Oki notices Sasuke's hostility he ignores it and says, "We can do this again tomorrow." The Chibi lights up, surprised by the offer. "After your training session."

Sasuke's excitement dies, the Chibi realizing what the Oki is implying. The bath was a trap, something Sasuke was given to appreciate simply so it can be hung over his head like a threat if he doesn't behave as these missing-nin want him to. Thus it's very likely Sasuke will never get to bathe again until he escapes from the Akatsuki.

Itachi frowns when the min-nin glares at him, wondering what he said to upset the tiny shinobi. However, it's not like Itachi can ask, so he simply locks the cage and takes away the bowl to empty in the bathroom sink.

**—**

Sasuke can't sleep that night, too anxious over what his first "training" session will entail. Will it be an exercise session? A test to see how fast he can run despite his injury? Or something more strenuous such as pitting him against a squirrel and seeing how long he lasts? Well, maybe not that last one...

Sasuke rolls over on his beanbag and stares at his brother's folded cloak beside him. His expression falls as he reaches for the black cloth and drags it up to his face. Despite the thorough washing he gave it, there's a familiar scent lying beneath the chemical fragrance, likening incense and green tea.

It smells like Itachi, and how Sasuke wishes he knew where his brother was. Assuming his sibling survived the fall, did he make it back to Konoha safely? Or is he still out there searching for Sasuke? And what about Shisui and Izumi?

Sasuke feels guilty for not thinking about them sooner, but now wonders if they too are safely back in Konoha. The Chibi's lips slant down, realizing if they are then they must have told his mother what happened and she's probably worried sick about him—worried about Itachi too if his brother hasn't made it back yet.

In fact, the entire Chibi Uchiha clan might be in a frenzy by now since Sasuke and Itachi are the clan's strongest members. And that's without considering Itachi is the clan head while Sasuke is the clan's sole heir. If anything happens to them the Chibi Uchiha will be devastated and it will be all Oki-Itachi's fault _again_.

Sasuke's fingers clench around his brother's cloak, bunching the clothing, while he stares out of his cage to the Oki lying in his bed. He can't see well outside of the ring of lamplight beaming down on the table, but he does his best to glare at Oki-Itachi anyway since the human may have brought ruin upon his clan.

Sasuke is still glaring when the Oki twitches. For a second he thinks the human's senses are so sharp he felt Sasuke's stare in his sleep, but then the Oki starts coughing.

Sasuke figures it‘s the dust in the air causing his reaction until the coughing intensifies, racking the Oki's entire frame. Is the human sick?

Oki-Itachi jerks upright in his bed, hand slapping over his mouth while he hacks up something wet from his lungs. Sasuke's brow furrows as the Oki moves less gracefully than he's ever seen and yanks open his drawer. He pulls out a large pill bottle and rushes to unscrew the cap, wheezing between his coughs.

Sasuke is beginning to feel uncomfortable because the Oki's cough sounds terrible.

Yet Sasuke can only watch as the Oki swallows two tablets dry before swiping his fist over a dark liquid leaking from his mouth. Gradually his coughing subsides, and once he can breathe normally, Oki-Itachi rises and walks unsteadily to the door, glancing Sasuke's way as he does.

Sasuke shuts his eyes quickly, but the Oki isn't fooled this time. "Sorry," the human says quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Sasuke reluctantly opens his eyes and narrows them at Oki-Itachi, though there's less heat in them than usual since he's more confused than angry.

"I'm sick." Oki-Itachi lowers his hand to the doorknob, but doesn't turn it. "I've been sick for a while."

Sasuke keeps his face blank, though something about the calm way Oki-Itachi is speaking puts him on edge.

"Normally it doesn't effect me at night, so you don't have to worry about this becoming a regular thing." His lips turn up like he's attempting a joke, but of course Sasuke doesn't answer, and the human sobers.

"It's terminal."

Sasuke's mask shatters, shock and horror blooming across his face.

Oki-Itachi shuts his eyes. "I've never told anyone that," he whispers as if awed by his own action before opening his eyes to focus on Sasuke. "It's okay." He smiles, and his expression sends a shiver down Sasuke's back. "I'll set you free before I have my final battle with Sasuke." He unlocks the door. "Assuming you haven't escaped by then."

Sasuke sits straight up the second the door closes, the soft cloth slipping off his shoulders without his notice. "Why..." he asks no one in particular, his brain whirring.

 _It must be another ploy_ , Sasuke decides. Oki-Itachi must be trying to garner Sasuke's sympathy by pretending to be terminally ill while also endearing himself to Sasuke by promising to set the Chibi free.

Sasuke glowers. He hates the tiny part of himself that believed the Oki for a moment and resolves to squash that bit of himself as he flops back on the beanbag, yanking the cloth over his head and mentally berating himself until he falls asleep.

The Chibi never notices the bloody fingerprints staining the doorknob, especially since Itachi cleans up all traces of his illness once he returns to his room.

**—**

Sasuke munches unenthusiastically on the omelet he's been given for lunch, not even tasting the green peppers and cheese before he lets the meal fall back into the bowl.

He didn't sleep well last night, having been plagued with a nightmare where Itachi was riding a crow during a thunderstorm, searching for Sasuke, only for the bird to be struck by lightning and tumble out of the air.

Bloodied and bruised, his brother had crawled out from under the crow's corpse and resumed his search by foot. However, Itachi started coughing, the coughs worsening until his brother collapsed onto his knees. Black blood dripping from his lips, Itachi fell back, and as his eyes dulled, used his final breath to call Sasuke's name before staring sightlessly up at the cloudy gray sky.

Sasuke woke up shouting, "Nii-san!", but fortunately Oki-Itachi was already awake and out of the room. Still, Sasuke can't shake off the memory of his brother dying in his nightmare, fearing its some sort of warning of what's to come unless Sasuke escapes the Akatsuki soon.

The Chibi sips a handful of water to help the omelet go down, but in his agitated state the drink merely makes him feel bloated.

The door opens, and Sasuke starts so badly he nearly falls into the bowl while Oki-Itachi enters the room. The Chibi's glare is weak as the Oki frowns at the half-eaten omelet. Yet Oki-Itachi says nothing when he takes the bowl to dump his remains in the trash, which only makes Sasuke feel worse because food is a precious resource that shouldn't be wasted.

A minute later Oki-Itachi returns and sets the bowl back in, but Sasuke tenses when he doesn't immediately close the cage. Instead Oki-Itachi reaches for the jar on the table and removes its lid, regarding him with what must be feigned sympathy. "It will be more comfortable for us both if I carry you in this."

Sasuke schools his expression, not allowing his fear to show even though he wasn't expecting his training to begin so soon. He crosses his arms tightly over his chest, not budging when the Oki lowers the jar into the cage and tilts it like he's honestly expecting Sasuke to willingly enter it.

After a brief staring match, the Oki sighs, and in a flash, pinches the back of Sasuke's shirt, lifting him easily despite the Chibi's flailing. He gently sets Sasuke in the jar, snapping the lid over it before he can leap out. "I'm sorry for this."

Sasuke has to bite his tongue to keep from calling him a liar while Oki-Itachi picks up the jar and glides out of the room.

The Chibi leans his hand on the glass, steadying himself as they enter the living room. He glowers at Kisame who waits by the door before noticing Kakuzu is also nearby, sitting on the couch and scrawling in his ledger while Deidara sits on the other sofa, a magazine with paper bombs on the cover in front of his face.

The blond lowers the magazine to stare at the newcomers, and seeing Itachi, glares. Then he notices Sasuke and glares at him too.

Sasuke turns up his nose at the blond in response, and rage flashes over Deidara's face.

Though the Chibi loses eye contact when Oki-Itachi suddenly hands him over to Kisame. "I will make sure everything is in place." The Oki waits for his partner to nod, then heads out the door.

Sasuke doesn't appreciate being left in the hands of the Oki who might have murdered his brother, and his gaze hardens as he looks up at the sharkman. If Sasuke gets out of here and learns his brother really did perish because of him, it won't matter if Kisame is a giant, Sasuke _will_ kill him.

A brief shout startles Sasuke into swiveling around to see the crazy scythe-weilder standing horrified in the doorway of the living room, his entire body rearing back. "The unholy creature!" He whips his pointer finger at Sasuke, eyes narrowing. "Keep that thing away from me!"

Kisame cocks his head, seemingly amused. "And what's so 'unholy' about it?"

The purple-eyed man snorts disdainfully, folding his arms. "Just look at it!" He says like it should be obvious while Sasuke's ears ring from his volume. "It's a crime against Jashin-sama that those things exist!"

Sasuke scowls when Kakuzu speaks without looking up from his numbers. "In my Village the korobokkuru are revered as mythical beings, known for leaving gifts on the doorsteps of shinobi who have earned their respect."

Sasuke blinks. That's actually not too far off from what Chibi typically do for their Oki counterparts. Since humans feed and shelter Sasuke's kind—even if they don't realize it—most Chibi find ways to return the favor. Sometimes they perform simple tasks such as retrieving a lost toy and leaving it out where the human will see it. Other times it's more serious like a Chibi following their Oki to the battlefield and helping them out from behind the scenes.

In Sasuke's house his mother used to pick flowers and leave the bouquet on her counterpart's bed, the human woman always assuming they were from her husband or sons. Father sometimes shined his counterpart's shuriken at night, and Sasuke and Itachi would take turns leaving a piece of candy or mint on their counterpart's beds. Of course this all ended when Oki-Itachi murdered most of the family.

"Blasphemy!" The scythe man cries, throwing his hands up. "That creature probably doesn't even have an ounce of blood in its body!" He shudders, revolted.

"Wait." Deidara finally lowers his magazine to send the scythe-weilder a deadpan stare. "Are you saying min-nin are filthy little monsters," he sends Sasuke a sharp smile that says he agrees with the sentiment, "Because they're too small to sacrifice?"

"Of course!" The scythe-weilder huffs. "What's the point of them if they can't even bleed properly?"

The cave entrance opening cuts off anyone's response and Oki-Itachi stands in the doorway, surreptitiously examining the shinobi inside prior to turning to Sasuke. The Chibi thinks he's imagining the way Oki-Itachi's face softens for a second before it frosts over.

"Everything is in place." Oki-Itachi retakes the jar from Kisame and goes back out, the sharkman following him and both ignoring the scythe-weilder's call to not bring back the "cursed creature".

"That guy sure is something," Kisame mutters and Sasuke has to agree.

Oki-Itachi doesn't reply, but his silence is telling as they walk past the waterfall and enter the forest.

Sasuke's eyes widen when he takes in the sunlit woods, the sunshine warming his face, a songbird singing somewhere above, and raindrops dripping off the tree leaves while pinecones lay scattered on the dirt floor.

Sasuke almost forgot what it felt like to be outdoors, having been locked in a room inside an even smaller cage with nothing but his thoughts for company over the past four days. He missed this, missed the fresh air and boundless sky.

The Chibi grins until he senses he's being watched and turns up his head to see Oki-Itachi observing him. Sasuke can't decipher the look in the Oki's ebony orbs, but he thinks the man is almost peering fondly at him.

Sasuke bares his teeth to show he's not fooled by the nice guy act, and certainly isn't falling for the "terminally ill" one because the man would definitely be showing more symptoms if he were dying.

The Oki looks up, slowing to a stop, and Sasuke glances around to see why, but nothing appears out of the ordinary. There aren't any target boards set against the trees or even squirrels waiting to fight him. Just what is the Oki planning?

"We're doing it here?" Kisame asks, which only furthers Sasuke's confusion because shouldn't he know? The Chibi thought for sure the sharkman and Oki-Itachi were partners.

"Yes," Oki-Itachi takes three steps and bends down.

Sasuke tenses, not knowing what's happening, while the Oki slowly tilts the jar, allowing Sasuke to reorient himself before unscrewing the lid and setting the container on the ground.

The Chibi's jaw drops, head swiveling from Oki-Itachi to the unobstructed jar opening as the human straightens up. It's got to be a trap, this must be a part of the training. Yet even if it is, Sasuke would be a fool not to try.

The Chibi rushes out the cylinder, throwing back his arms and speeding across the damp forest floor so fast he ends up skidding on a leaf before he regains his balance. He spares the missing-nin a glance over his shoulder, but neither Oki has moved.

Sasuke turns frontwards, unable to enjoy the wind whipping across his face or the sweet sensation of freedom when all his senses are screaming, _It's too easy! Don't let your guard down!_

It's these very thoughts that save Sasuke from crashing into the crow that suddenly swoops into his path. The Chibi somersaults over it, broken leg oddly unbothered when he lands a couple feet away.

He glares at the tall black bird, not recognizing it as one of his brother's, meaning it's Oki-Itachi's summon. Maybe his "pitting him against a squirrel" idea wasn't too far-fetched if they've sent this bird to fight him.

Yet the animal doesn't move, its beady red eyes merely watching Sasuke back up as the Chibi searches for something to defend himself with.

Though not seeing any twigs or stones nearby, Sasuke waits until he's backed up a good distance away before breaking into a run, hoping the bird won't follow.

The crow does, but soars so high Sasuke can only tell it's following because its shadow is right on top of him.

Desperate to avoid being tracked, Sasuke rushes into a patch of tall grass and ducks under the shade of a flower. He keeps an ear out for the sound of flapping wings, so nearly jumps out of his skin when a crow screeches right outside the grass. Apparently Oki-Itachi sent more than one crow to hunt him down.

Sasuke cringes when the crow screeches again, slapping his hands over his ears as a second crow joins in the screeching. Sasuke grows nervous when the cawing gets louder, realizing there must be a dozen crows outside the grass surrounding him.

The Chibi falls to his knees, hands unable to block the cacophony of birds. His eardrums are on fire, brain rattling, and either blood or sweat is leaking out of his ears because the crows are so _loud_ he's going to go deaf if he doesn't get out of here now.

With no other choice, Sasuke springs out of his hiding spot and bursts out the grass, prepared to fight every single bird if it means he can escape.

Yet there are no crows lying in wait for him. In fact Sasuke isn't even on the forest floor anymore, but atop a human palm.

"He already got out of it?" Kisame asks, and Sasuke is too stunned to move as Oki-Itachi sets him back into the jar and secures it, standing in a broad forest clearing Sasuke doesn't recognize. When did they get here?

"Yes," Oki-Itachi inclines his head. "Being a Sharingan user like myself grants him a natural resistance to genjutsu, so he quickly saw through my visual and tactile illusions. If I hadn't reinforced them with my crow he would have escaped the genjutsu sooner. Though it seems he is mildly susceptible to the auditory ones."

Kisame smiles, showing off his sharklike teeth. "Ah, well at least it was fun watching him run from invisible enemies."

Sasuke finally breaks free of his shock, recognizing he's been played a fool. Everything after being released from the jar was a genjutsu, but when could Oki-Itachi have placed him under it?

The Chibi recalls the fond look Oki-Itachi gave him as they were walking. Was it then?

Sasuke is mortified he was tricked so easily, by genjutsu no less, something he excels in. Even without his Sharingan Sasuke should have noticed he was in an illusion.

The Oki return to their base and the living room is vacant as they enter. "I'll let the boss know how the genjutsu test went," Kisame says, sending Sasuke an amused look before moving down the hall and Sasuke grits his teeth to resist screaming.

The Chibi's face burns with humiliation, and Sasuke is sure it's turning red based on the concerned look Oki-Itachi sends him. It's annoying how the man keeps pretending to care about him, acting like he's not a cold-hearted monster, the liar!

Sasuke is steaming when Oki-Itachi deposits him back into his cage so barely hears the human mention something about bringing back food. Sasuke's chest heaves once the Oki shuts the door, his rage growing as he glares at the walls entrapping him.

Sasuke is tired of being locked up, angry that he doesn't understand why he's here or what the missing-nin are planning to do with him. He wants to be out of here already, wants to know what's happening with his clan and make sure Shisui, Izumi, and his mother are okay.

Most of all he wants to find Itachi. His brother isn't okay, Sasuke can feel it, yet every time he tries to escape and find him Oki-Itachi ruins it. The man ruins _everything_. His clan, his life, his home, and now Oki-Itachi helped murder his brother and Sasuke has had enough!

The Uchiha doesn't feel himself run up and kick the food bowl into the wall. He isn't thinking as he grabs the basin and beats it against the glass until it cracks. Then he's flipping over the water bowl until its liquid spills out onto the floor, soaking his feet. Yet Sasuke feels nothing as he marches up to the beanbag, locates its seam and bites into it, tearing the cloth apart with his teeth until the beans spill out.

He pummels the bag, striking it over and over while asking himself why he didn't do this sooner. Eventually the bag is too deflated to beat so Sasuke tosses it aside and zeroes in on the cloth. The Chibi tries to march towards it, but one step and his bad leg gives out so he ends up on his hands and knees.

Panting, Sasuke glares at the plastic splint, recalling the humiliating way Oki-Itachi put it on him. He sits down and rips off the straps, tearing off the plastic contraption and ignoring how his leg screams while he chucks it at the wall. He doesn't need Oki-Itachi's help, doesn't want anything from that monster!

The door opens and Sasuke’s head whips up to see the Oki enter the room, a rice ball in his hand, only to stop short, eyes widening.

Sasuke smirks, relishing in the Oki's shock as the man takes in the trashed cage. The water and beans all over the floor, the beaten beanbag, turned over bowls, and the Chibi sitting in the middle of it with bruised knuckles and a broken leg.

"Sasuke..." Oki-Itachi whispers, and the Chibi flinches because he almost sounded like his brother whenever his sibling is dismayed.

However, all feelings of regret are wiped away when the Oki's eyes melt into his Sharingan. Sasuke is instantly dragged into the swirling pinwheels, and as he falls back unconscious, his last thought is that at least he made his point. 

Sasuke isn't happy here, so as long as he's stuck with the Akatsuki, they'll all be feeling his wrath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, apparently I had another chapter in me before turning attention to my other stories and it's a little longer than the others, so I hope it was a fun read :)
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story! Also I've finally given this a chapter total, though it's just an estimate so I'll probably have to tweak it as we get closer to the end.
> 
> Next time: Itachi tries to have a talk with Chibi Sasuke, but the little ninja doesn't make it easy...


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke wakes up barely conscious as something soft yet sturdy cradles his body.

"—certain?"

The Chibi twitches at the muffled word, but his eyelids are too heavy to open and the call to sleep is strong.

"—danger to himself."

A deep voice rumbles above him, oddly familiar, and therefore, comforting.

"...adverse effect on his emotional and mental...needs room..."

Sasuke quickly fades back into the darkness.

The Chibi awakens again much more coherent, lying on a cushion with a soft cloth blanketing him. Sasuke assumes he's on the beanbag in his cage until he notices how spacious the bedding is, his feet and hands unable to reach its ends.

Confused, Sasuke covertly brushes his fingers over the cushion. The material feels plush and bouncy...like a pillow?

Sasuke's eyes snap open and he jerks up, muscles protesting the sudden movement, but the teen barely notices because an Oki pillow can't fit in his cage so how—

The Chibi inhales sharply because there are no glass walls above or around him. Instead, Sasuke sits upon a pillow on the floor of Oki-Itachi's bedroom with nothing save for empty air surrounding him.

Sasuke scrambles to his feet, uncaring that the plastic splint is back on his leg while his eyes sweep across the area because he is free, completely _free_. He can leave now and finally find Itach—

"Before you try anything."

Sasuke's head whips up to see Oki-Itachi sitting on his bed, staring him down from the other side of the room. The human looks even bigger than usual, probably because Sasuke is below him on the floor, and the Chibi struggles not to let his instinctive fear of such a large creature overcome him.

"Know that a barrier seal is in place." The Oki points at a black seal inked on the ground in front of Sasuke. "It's keeping you from entering my half of the room as well as suppressing your chakra."

Sasuke glares at the Oki, purposely not looking where he indicated, and the human stands. "Attempting to cross the barrier will be no different from attempting to walk through a wall." He steps forward and Sasuke backs up on the blue pillow, but Oki-Itachi merely goes to the middle of the room and crouches until he's near Sasuke's eye level.

"I'm the only one who can freely cross the barrier," the human's gaze bores into the Chibi's, "So you don't have to worry about Deidara or anyone else bothering you when I'm not around."

Sasuke narrows his eyes, though of course gives no indication he comprehends.

Oki-Itachi's expression suddenly cools. "There's no point in pretending you don't understand me."

Sasuke very carefully does not change his expression despite how his heart starts thumping because Oki aren't supposed to know Chibi can understand them, and Sasuke has given no indication he can speak so the Oki must be bluffing...right?

Oki-Itachi stares at him, gaze unnervingly intense, but soon the moment passes and he says, "You are free to roam everywhere behind the barrier, and make use of any objects on your side of the room."

"However." The Oki rises to his full height and Sasuke suddenly feel very small. "If you ever hurt yourself again," Oki-Itachi's voice thickens and his black eyes burn, "I will have no choice but to confine you inside a cage, deprive you of even the most basic furniture, and monitor you constantly."

The Chibi winces, yet glares to show he isn't cowed, even though the mere thought of being stuffed back into a cage makes him feel claustrophobic.

The Oki's face softens and he sighs. "Don't worry me like that again, Little Sasuke." His eyes close briefly. "I know you don't want to be here, and you're just acting out because you're homesick, but you need to be patient."

Sasuke inwardly scoffs at the human's attempt to convince him he actually cares while Oki-Itachi spares him a final lingering look before leaving the room.

The Chibi watches the door, refusing to move until five minutes pass and he decides the Oki isn't coming back.

Sasuke thus turns towards his new surroundings, eyeing all the new furniture and curbing his curiosity over them as he goes to inspect the seal first. He stops an inch behind it and raises his hand, slowly pushing his palm forward.

Nothing happens. However, the further his hand goes, the thicker the air feels around it until something hard and solid presses against his fingers. Sasuke tries to push through the barrier, but the seal doesn't give in the slightest, and he drops his arm, realizing it's futile.

Now having established he's still trapped, the teenager moves on to investigate the rest of his new surroundings.

He walks past the heat lamp on the floor, its light aimed at Sasuke's pillow, and goes to the right where plastic furniture—likely from a dollhouse—has been set up.

The picnic bench holds Sasuke's weight when he sits on it. However, the plastic cup, plate, knife, spoon, and chopsticks are too flimsy to turn into potential weapons. Though at least Sasuke finally has actual dining utensils instead of having to eat with his hands all the time.

A sudden thirst tingles Sasuke's throat and he coughs, wondering how long he was asleep for his throat to be this dry as he goes to the water and food bowl behind the picnic bench. He dips the cup in the liquid to bring water to his lips while examining himself in the water's reflection.

Yet the Uchiha almost chokes when he sees how wild his hair looks. Sasuke sets the cup on the bench, moving to run his hands through his hair—his only means of combing it these days—but stops when something glitters in his peripheral vision. He turns to see a plastic dresser with a cheap aluminum mirror on top of it by the wall beside the heat lamp.

Approaching what must be another dollhouse accessory, considering the dresser's drawers don't actually open, Sasuke finds Itachi's cloak folded on top of the furniture as well as a plastic brush and comb that work well enough once Sasuke runs them through his ebony locks.

Satisfied with his appearance in the mirror, the Chibi turns to a giant table in the room's left corner. He's pretty sure it's the same table his glass cage used to be on and is surprised Oki-Itachi didn't remove it from his half of the room. Then again, the table is much too big for Sasuke to weild as a weapon.

Sasuke is perplexed to find a Chibi-sized rope ladder hanging off the table's side. He tests the rope, tugging it, and when the ladder doesn't budge, Sasuke climbs it until he can pull himself onto the tabletop.

The cage and jar being gone are the first thing he notices before spotting the four miniature wooden target boards glued to the wall the table rests against. Sasuke blinks at the four red rubber balls, about the size of his head, clustered in front of the targets, and what looks like a white training dummy lying on the floor beside them. Is...is this supposed to be a training field?

The Chibi is shocked, but supposes if the Oki Akatsuki want to use him during missions, it would be wise to give Sasuke a means to keep up with his shinobi training.

Sasuke walks over to the edge of the table and looks down at his new, grander prison. This isn't the treatment Sasuke was expecting after throwing his tantrum, but he will make the most of it as long as it lasts.

**—**

Itachi returns to his room an hour later, a plate in his hand as he approaches the barrier seal. He pauses, seeing the min-nin's pillow is now under the square table.

The little ninja must have moved it to get some privacy as he sleeps, and Itachi sees no harm in that, so reaches down to turn the heat lamp towards the pillow.

A small object soars at Itachi's head and he instinctively jerks back, watching as a rubber ball flies through where he was, falls to the floor and bounces until it rolls to a stop by his feet.

Itachi looks up to see the min-nin glaring and standing on the tabletop with another rubber ball in his hands. The Uchiha's lips angle upwards, glad the little shinobi is making use of the training facilities he set up even if it's just to attack him.

The little Sasuke grinds his teeth, perhaps mistaking his smile for a patronizing grin as Itachi steps over the barrier. "I brought you dinner." He goes to the food bowl and sets one of the pork dumplings on his plate inside it.

The min-nin's hands clench around the ball, but he doesn't throw it while Itachi steps back and goes to sit on his bed. He picks up the chopsticks from his plate, and hoping to put the tiny shinobi at ease, starts to eat the other dumplings.

It's only once he hears tiny feet pad towards the food bowl and the barest sound of the min-nin eating, that he speaks.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Itachi peeks up and sees the min-nin stiffen in his seat at the plastic table. It's further proof that the small shinobi must understand at least some human speech. Though whether the min-nin can talk is doubtful.

Regardless, Itachi doesn't bring up his suspicions again, recalling the fear on the little Sasuke's face when he mentioned it earlier. "I'll be gone on a mission for five days."

Itachi watches the min-nin stare through the dumpling piece on his plate, eyes unfocused and frowning. Thinking he's worried about who will feed him while Itachi is gone, the older Uchiha explains. "Konan will take care of you until I return. She should arrive sometime tomorrow."

He waits to see the min-nin's reaction, but the tiny shinobi has already resumed eating and doesn't look up again. Itachi is mildly concerned by Little Sasuke's odd behavior, a concern which only intensifies the next morning as he's about to depart.

The min-nin looks dazed while he nibbles on the pancake Itachi gave him, and though Itachi really should get going, he lowers his hand from the doorknob and stares over his shoulder.

"Konan isn't like Deidara."

The min-nin's jaw stops moving, but he doesn't lift his gaze from his food on the plastic table.

"She won't bully you or be needlessly cruel... You're safe with her."

Itachi isn't sure, not with his ever worsening eyesight, but he thinks the tiny shinobi's shoulders lower a bit at the assurance.

Itachi turns the knob. "Goodbye, Little Sasuke." He leaves without looking back, marveling at the drop of sadness he feels at leaving the min-nin behind.

Therefore, as Itachi meets Kisame at the base entrance, the Uchiha vows to make fast work of his assignment and return to the min-nin quickly.

"You going to miss your little pet, Itachi-san?" Kisame asks teasingly, unaware just how close to the truth he is.

They move past the waterfall and the Uchiha's expression is flat as he replies. "No."

"Really?" Kisame smirks, sharp teeth gleaming in the early morning light. "Guess it's no fun when you can't beat the min-nin around like your real brother, huh?"

Itachi stuffs down the memory of what he did to Sasuke in that hallway three years ago, dryly saying, "There is no pleasure in beating the weak."

Sasuke's screams after he placed his little brother in his Tsukuyomi chase after Itachi as he walks deeper into the forest, and the Uchiha only hopes the day of their fated battle comes soon.

**—**

The second Oki-Itachi leaves, a tidal wave of anxiety slams into Sasuke's chest. The emotion hits him so hard the Chibi breaks out in a sweat and his breathing grows labored. What is this? Where did all this fear come from?

Sasuke's hands curl up and he forces himself to take deep, measured breaths, counting down from twenty in his head before he stops.

Respiration normal again, Sasuke stands up from the picnic table on trembling legs. "What is wrong with me?" He whispers.

Oki-Itachi leaving shouldn't have this effect on him. Of all things, shouldn't Sasuke be celebrating his time away from the kin murderer?

The Chibi is pulled from his thoughts when the bedroom door opens, and he quickly sprints to his pillow, burrowing under the cushion right as sandaled feet enter the room.

Sasuke isn't sure why he's hiding since the Oki coming in must be Konan, but the thought of being around another human without Oki-Itachi nearby is oddly terrifying. Then again, his brother's counterpart is one of the few Akatsuki members who hasn't gone out of their way to harm him, so maybe that's why he feels so paranoid now that Oki-Itachi is gone.

The human footsteps draw closer, walking over the seal to stand by the table, and Sasuke realizes Oki-Itachi must have gave Konan the code to unlock the barrier.

Slowing his breathing so the movement won't be noticed under the pillow, Sasuke peers through the shred of light and sees black, heeled shoes. He thinks Konan is looking for him above the table until a piece of paper suddenly drifts down and lands on the floor in front of him.

Sasuke gapes as the piece of paper starts sliding across the ground—is this a jutsu?

However, the paper proves to be a distraction when suddenly the weight of the pillow disappears and a delicate hand snaps closed around his body.

"To think min-nin exist."

The toneless, feminine voice surprises Sasuke into stilling as he's brought up to a human face.

Blue hair pinned into a bun frame amber eyes, which stare coolly at him.

Sasuke blinks, absorbing the human's appearance, while Konan says, "And such a young one too..."

The Chibi can't tell if there's a note of sympathy in her voice before the woman pulls out a glass jar and swiftly drops him inside it.

She waits for him to stand and brace himself against the glass before exiting the room, and some of Sasuke's anxiety fades seeing she is being careful with him.

Konan breezes past the living room and promptly enters the forest outside. Sasuke realizes they're heading to the same clearing Oki-Itachi took him for training and knows what's happening before the woman unscrews the jar lid and tilts it so he slides out onto the forest floor.

Sasuke glances around, fearing it's another genjutsu, but nothing seems out of the ordinary, and even without access to his chakra, Sasuke would notice a non-Sharingan user placing him under an illusion.

Yet the Chibi can't figure out the trick before suddenly pieces of papers rise around Konan, undoubtedly from a jutsu of her creation, and they fold midair until dozens of paper shuriken hover around her.

The woman doesn't say a word or lift a finger, which makes it all the more unnerving when the paper shuriken hurtle towards Sasuke.

The Chibi instinctively jumps away, and the first shuriken stabs deep into the earth where he previously stood. Sasuke's eyes widen, realizing Konan is genuinely attacking him, and he runs as fast as he can with his injured leg while the paper weapons strike the earth mere centimeters behind him.

However, a wall of paper forms right in front of him, blocking his path, and Sasuke only has a second to act before he's skewered.

Scowling, Sasuke runs up the paper wall, flips backwards as a shuriken spins beneath him, and kicks the shuriken down while he falls.

The origami weapon lands beside Sasuke, and the Chibi picks it up, wielding it like a shield to deflect the other shuriken. His whole body trembles with each strike against his paper defense, but Sasuke maintains his grip until finally the hits stop coming.

Sasuke waits ten seconds before peeking around the paper, but regrets his decision when a metal kunai comes flying towards his head. He drops the shuriken, realizing it will only impede his movements as he ducks under the blade.

The weapon imbeds itself in a tree, and Sasuke looks to Konan, wondering why the kunoichi is trying to kill him—don't the Akatuski need him _alive_?

However, a sizzling sound makes Sasuke turn back to see a paper bomb tied to the kunai's hilt, and realizing it's about to go off, Sasuke runs.

Yet there isn't enough time to escape the blast radius. So the bomb explodes, fire and ash lick his skin and Sasuke is going to die—

A paper butterfly sweeps under the teen's feet and he falls back on it while the butterfly soars up high as the flames overtake the clearing below. The Chibi is so stunned as the smoke plume billows beneath him that he slides limply off the butterfly once it lands in Konan's palm.

The kunoichi quickly places Sasuke back in the jar, saying, "That's enough for today."

Sasuke realizes this was a training session and not an actual attempt to murder him as Konan returns to the cave, and the realization is almost enough to make Sasuke miss Oki-Itachi because at least his genjutsu can't actually kill him.

The woman goes down a tunnel Sasuke has never seen before, striding into a room that turns out to be a kitchen with a low table to the left where Deidara eats what looks like ramen while Tobi makes a card pyramid across from him.

She doesn't acknowledge them as she sets the jar on the counter and opens the fridge. Sasuke glances warily at Deidara, but the Oki doesn't seem to notice he's here.

Konan makes a quiet noise of surprise and closes the fridge, her expression somewhat colder than before while she regards the two at the table. "Deidara."

The blond looks up, blinking with chopsticks halfway to his mouth. "Huh?" He lowers his chopsticks. "What is it?"

"Did you seen anyone take the food Itachi prepared for the min-nin?"

Sasuke's brow rises. Oki-Itachi made food for him? Wait, had Oki-Itachi been the one making Sasuke's meals this _whole_ time?

The Chibi always assumed the human bought his meals, but if Oki-Itachi had been preparing his food all along, that would explain why it tasted so familiar. Oki-Itachi cooked just like his brother.

Deidara scowls, eyes narrowing as he finally notices Sasuke in the jar. "No," he crosses his arms, "And it wasn't me, if that's what you're thinking!"

Konan shakes her head. "I didn't think it was you, but since you are here, I thought you might have seen something."

The blond scoffs. "It must have been Hidan," he throws his hands up, "He's probably trying to starve the min-nin or something, un."

Tobi looks up, nodding rapidly. "Yeah, I saw him in the hall earlier!" He smacks the table in his enthusiasm and his card pyramid teeters before tipping over.

"I see," Konan says, ignoring Tobi's shriek over his fallen pyramid and Deidara's shout about cards getting in his food as she picks up the jar and leaves the room.

The woman quietly exits the hideout, unnervingly silent, and only once they enter the forest does Sasuke put together why it bothers him.

Oki-Itachi always talks to him. Sasuke never noticed until now, but whenever they're alone, his brother's counterpart always speaks to him like he's expecting Sasuke to talk back...

Sasuke frowns. Maybe Oki-Itachi wasn't bluffing yesterday, and he really has figured out Sasuke can understand him. If so, the Chibi will have to be extra careful from now on not to give away how much he understands. Otherwise, the Oki might figure out he can talk too.

The faintest scent of spice and fire along the wind catches Sasuke's attention and he looks up to see lights, which are noticeable only because the sky is gray, and what must be buildings in the distance at the bottom of the grassy hill.

It takes another thirty minutes for Konan to reach the town that Sasuke doesn't recognize, and where are they? Is this even the Land of Wind anymore?

Sasuke doubts it. It took Oki-Itachi and Kisame hours to travel from the Suna-nin's shop to the Akatsuki cave, meaning they probably walked quite a distance away from Suna.

Konan pauses before entering the town and pulls a bandage roll out of her pocket. She winds a strip around the jar, and Sasuke's world is thrown into shade until he stands on his toes to peek over the cloth wrapping. The Oki must not want others to see Sasuke, which is fine by the Chibi since he'd rather not be seen by more humans.

The kunoichi heads straight to an open market and begins picking up fruits, vegetables, and ready-to-eat meals. Clearly she won't be cooking for Sasuke like Oki-Itachi did, so is searching for items that require little preparation.

Sasuke clutches his stomach, feeling a pang of hunger probably because he didn't finish his breakfast this morning. He hopes Konan will give him some food prior to them getting back to the cave.

A low whistle barely audible over the clamor of humans moving through the aisles catches Sasuke's attention. Strange, it almost sounds like a bird chirping.

The high-pitched sound repeats itself a minute later and Sasuke glances around, curious, until he locates the source. His heart skips a beat.

For down by Konan's shoes is a Chibi with a carrot strapped to his back and a _Konoha_ headband tied around his arm.

Sasuke wants to scream because a fellow Konoha-nin is _right there_. Yet he can't, or Konan might hear him.

Another Chibi shinobi joins up with the the carrot-carrier under the fruit stand, a basket filled with berries strapped to his back. The two ninja must be a part of a team on a long-term mission, here to restock their supplies.

They eye Konan, waiting for her to leave so they can grab more fruit, but neither can see Sasuke since his jar is covered.

A plea for help burns in Sasuke's chest and his mind whirs with plans to safely get their attention. He could tap on the glass in code or whistle a bird call like they were... But then he'd be risking their lives, wouldn't he?

It hits Sasuke suddenly that if the Chibi try to help him, they'll likely be spotted by Konan or another human. As much as Sasuke longs to go home, find Itachi and see his family again, there is no way he can jeopardize the lives of his fellow Konoha-nin.

The teen bows his head, hands balling up into fists. He's on his own, facing impossible odds—because for all his bravado he knows how unlikely it is he'll escape a group of S-rank Oki shinobi—and now must let his best chance at escape slip away.

The whistle comes again and Sasuke weakly gazes over the cloth covering.

The two Chibi stare back, eyes widening.

Sasuke realizes they were signaling him right as the Chibi turn and start whispering to each other like they're deliberating what to do. Oh... _oh._ Sasuke left his Konoha headband in his brother's cloak pocket, Itachi having warned him the Oki might confiscate it because of the metal leaf symbol, so the other Chibi don't know Sasuke is a Konoha ninja.

Sasuke fixes this by turning around, pulling up his shirt collar, and pointing at the Uchiha symbol on his back.

He looks over his shoulder to watch the two Chibi's mouth fall open, obviously recognizing the red and white fan.

Sasuke loses sight of them though as Konan walks over to the checkout counter, making the Uchiha stumble forward. He catches himself on the wall and looks over the bandage to see one man in front of Konan, meaning there isn't much time before the kunoichi pays for the groceries and leaves town.

He looks back, eyes desperately scanning the floor, and heartbeat accelerating when he can't find the Chibi. Did they leave him? If so, Sasuke doesn't blame them. Konan is clearly a shinobi, meaning it's likely she'll notice any attempt to save him.

"Hey!"

Sasuke jumps, head whipping down to see the dark-haired Chibi with the headband around his arm is in Konan's grocery basket, hidden between the tomatoes and lettuce.

"What's your name, kid?" The man whisper shouts, eyes darting from Sasuke to the cashier as the man in front of Konan pulls out his wallet.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He whispers in a rush, seeing the customer before Konan picking up his bags to leave. "I've been captured by the human Akatsuki, but my brother Itachi escaped. Have you heard of him? Did he make it back to Konoha?" The questions spill out before he can think.

"Uchiha Itachi?" The man shakes his head. "Sorry, haven't heard of him." Sasuke's heart shatters, and the fear must show on his face, because the man says, "But it takes weeks for news about Konoha to reach us way out here."

Sasuke is somewhat assured and starts to ask where exactly _here_ is when Konan steps up to the checkout counter and lifts her grocery basket.

The Konoha Chibi doesn't say a word before jumping out of the basket and landing on a nearby shelf, a chip bag cushioning his fall. The man stands up on the bag and sends Sasuke a pitying look before making an ANBU hand signal, one Sasuke only recognizes because Itachi taught him some when he was kid.

_Help is on the way._

Sasuke hears the promise in the signal even as Konan pays for the groceries and exits the market.

Warmth fills Sasuke's chest and he barely notices when Konan briefly stops to buy a fried squid on a stick and puts it in the jar beside him. The teen eats the seafood with a little smile on his face because though it might take a while, word of Sasuke's capture will reach the Village, and Konoha will send out search parties to locate him.

And even if they can't find Sasuke, maybe the'll run into Itachi and get his brother home safely.

_Hold on, Nii-san, help is on the way._

Sasuke only hopes help doesn't arrive too late.

**—**

Konan is like Oki-Itachi, Sasuke comes to realize. Though her countenance is cold, she never fails to provide Sasuke a bath every night, feed him five times a day, and for some reason take the Chibi along with her on daily walks through the forest.

He learns the reason for this when Konan travels to a vast, bleak industrial city and goes to the peak of its highest tower where she reports to the Akatsuki leader.

"The min-nin has been calm. It has not attempted to escape or tried to attack me. I believe letting it out for walks has improved its temperament."

Pain's Rinnegan eyes fall upon Sasuke, making the Chibi swallow thickly as the redhead says, "It seems Itachi was right." He looks back at the kunoichi. "And what of its progress?"

"It is ready."

Pain pauses before asking, "Are you certain?"

Konan's eyes shut for a second as she softly says, "Nagato." Sasuke raises a brow because that isn't the man's name. "The min-nin has passed all the tests, I'm sure we can use it now."

The Chibi lowers his head, hiding his frown because it sounds like whatever they're planning to use him for, they've decided to start using him _immediately._

Pain—or Nagato?—agrees. "Then we will begin the first phase once Itachi and Kisame return from their mission."

Konan inclines her head, saying a goodbye before leaving the tower.

She returns to the cave, releasing Sasuke back into the room and standing behind the seal as she whispers. "To think our goal will finally be realized thanks to you."

Sasuke thinks she's expressing gratitude before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Yet the Chibi can't accept any thanks because the Akatsuki are a group of criminals, so if they're happy about something, Sasuke is certain it means nothing good for the rest of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...this story is really getting popular! Special thanks to all of you readers, especially if you've been around since the beginning. I appreciate all your comments, as they never fail to make me smile 😊
> 
> Next time: Chibi Sasuke goes on his first mission with the Akatsuki...
> 
> Take care!


	7. Chapter 7

Eight days pass and Oki-Itachi doesn't return.

Sasuke paces a hole through the floor after Konan drops off his breakfast, agitated by the lack of news. Not that the Chibi is _worried_ about Oki-Itachi. He just hates not knowing what's going on and what this delay might mean for him.

The lack of intel makes him feel helpless, a feeling that only grows once the Chibi realizes today marks two weeks since he was captured by the Akatsuki...meaning today is Itachi's birthday.

The teenager slows to a stop under the table. Sasuke was supposed to be home by now. He was supposed to be picking up his special order from the weapons shop while Mother cooked Itachi's favorite meals, and they were going to surprise him with a party at the dango shop.

Shisui and Izumi had been especially excited to celebrate, happy for any excuse to drag Itachi out of his office... But now Sasuke isn't even sure his brother is alive, and the thought that Itachi didn't live to see his twenty-first birthday kills him inside.

The Chibi falls back on his pillow, rolling over to bury his face in the cushion and dragging the cloth over his head. He's tired suddenly, despite getting a full night's rest, and all he wants to do is sleep the day away.

So he does.

Konan enters the room twice. Sasuke senses her staring after she sees his untouched meal. Yet the kunoichi merely switches out the food with a fresh dish before leaving as quietly as she came.

Sasuke doesn't get up, doesn't want to. He doesn't feel hungry, though there's a yawning emptiness inside him. Sasuke doesn't feel _anything_ , and maybe it's better this way.

Konan comes in a third time, walking right over the barrier and bending down so close he can sense her body heat. Still, Sasuke doesn't move until her fingers tug the cloth off his head.

He quickly steals the blanket back and yanks it over himself. The Chibi waits for the kunoichi to do something, perhaps steal the blanket again, but all he gets is the shuffling of feet and then she's gone.

Good. Sasuke prefers to be alone today.

Hours or minutes pass and the door clicks open again. The Chibi doesn't have the energy to put up a fight when a hand slides under his side and picks him up, cloth and all.

Konan puts him in the jar, and Sasuke immediately sits against the glass, draping the cloth over his head. The Chibi knows he's being childish, and that hiding from his problems won't solve them or bring Itachi back, but he just doesn't care.

A bright light invades Sasuke's vision, and his eyes squeeze closed as he turns away from the setting sun, wondering when they went outside.

"You said the min-nin was sick."

Sasuke opens his eyes and peeks out of the cloth to see Oki-Itachi, his face slightly pinched with concern.

"Yes." Konan stares at Sasuke. "The min-nin would not eat, and it's been lethargic all day. It also refused to come out from under its blanket until now." Her amber eyes glide up to Itachi then back to the Chibi. "Though perhaps it wasn't as sick as I thought."

She hands the jar to Oki-Itachi while Kisame says, "The min-nin looks pretty lively to me." He smirks. "Maybe it just missed Itachi."

The Oki Uchiha doesn't comment, simply continuing to stare at him, and Sasuke feels something for the first time since this morning, so glares back.

"Was he eating before today?" Oki-Itachi asks.

Konan nods. "Yes, it was fine until this morning."

Itachi gives Sasuke another look over and then his features go blank. "I suppose the min-nin has grown a little attached to me." Sasuke's eyes widen. "So perhaps he really did just miss me."

The Chibi pales because surely Oki-Itachi doesn't actually think he missed him!? He hates him!

"That is good news," Konan says, "Considering your mission with the min-nin is tomorrow."

Itachi doesn't look surprised, maybe having already been informed about his next assignment, and neither does Kisame, though the blue-skinned man sighs. "To think we just got back after our target eluded us for days and we're already being sent out again." His sharp grin shows he isn't as bothered by the new mission as he sounds.

"We can go over the details tomorrow." Oki-Itachi tells his partner before striding into the cave.

The Oki takes Sasuke back to their room, leaving him in the jar and placing it on his dresser. He returns thirty minutes later with a plate of sushi, which he sets beside the Chibi.

Sasuke backs away as the human lowers a sushi roll into the jar. Then screwing the lid back on, Oki-Itachi catches Sasuke's gaze and orders. "Eat."

Sasuke scowls and Oki-Itachi's eyes narrow. "I told you what would happen if you hurt yourself." The Chibi blinks, surprised by the reminder. "Starving yourself counts as self-harm, so unless you want to spend the rest of the night in that jar, I suggest you eat."

Sasuke clenches his jaw. It looks like Oki-Itachi wasn't making an idle threat, he really will lock Sasuke in a cage and deprive him of privacy if he doesn't take proper care of himself.

The Chibi still isn't hungry, but it's not healthy to go this long without food. Therefore, Sasuke stands, and holding his head high, abandons the cloth on the floor as he marches over to the sushi. He picks up the roll and bends down to bite into the seaweed wrap, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of being watched while he chews.

After he takes another bite, Oki-Itachi looks away and sits on his bed as Sasuke focuses on eating.

Once the Chibi is done, Oki-Itachi turns and his eyes rake over Sasuke like he's searching for something. The teen glares back, but a whole minute passes before Oki-Itachi says, "I know you didn't miss me."

The teen glowers, eyes asking why the Oki made the other humans believe that lie then.

Oki-Itachi gives him a knowing look. "At least, I'm not the Itachi you miss."

Sasuke's body goes rigid and the Oki closes his eyes. "So it is his birthday too."

 _If Itachi is still alive_. Sasuke's eyes burn at the thought and he stares at the ground to cover up his reaction.

"You must have been looking forward to celebrating with him." The Oki notes. "But now you're not even sure he's alive."

Sasuke's hands curl into fists and his whole body trembles with his rage and despair. How dare Oki-Itachi taunt him like this, how dare—

"You shouldn't worry."

Sasuke looks up, dark orbs moist and narrowed with hatred. Yet Oki-Itachi's expression isn't cold or callous. Rather, his face is drawn down in sympathy. "I think your brother is alive."

Shock flashes over Sasuke's face while the Oki pulls open a drawer. "I would have told you this earlier, but I didn't know you could understand me."

The Chibi's eyes widen as Oki-Itachi sets a familiar bird saddle next to his jar. "My crow found this at your brother's crash site."

Sasuke presses his hands against the glass, peering closely at the saddle's side until he spots the Uchiha fan in the corner. There's no way an Oki would know to paint the symbol in that specific spot, which means it really _is_ Itachi's saddle.

"They couldn't find any signs of your brother, but it's possible the rain washed the evidence away."

Sasuke's lip quivers and his face screws up because if that's true then Itachi could be... Itachi is...

The Oki looks the other way when the tears start rolling down Sasuke's face because Itachi is _alive_ , his brother is okay!

The Chibi had clung to hope of his brother's survival, but now he has proof Itachi walked away from the crash and the relief nearly brings him to his knees.

After a few minutes, Sasuke scrubs the tears from his eyes and Oki-Itachi takes the jar behind the seal, releasing him onto his pillow.

"Keep it." Oki-Itachi places the saddle near the cushion. "You can give it back to your brother when you get home." The Oki doesn't say more as he goes to his side of the room and gets ready for bed.

Later that night, Sasuke lies on his pillow with his brother's cloak folded beside him, and turns to Oki-Itachi's sleeping form. It is ironic the human gave him a gift today when it's the Oki having a birthday.

The teen frowns. But why did Oki-Itachi tell him about the saddle?

Sasuke tries telling himself the human is simply pretending to be nice, but for some reason, the explanation doesn't carry as much weight as it used to.

**—**

Oki-Itachi and Kisame set off for the mission the next morning, Sasuke coming along in his jar, which is stuffed into a weapons pouch clipped to the larger Uchiha's side.

The ride isn't as bumpy as Sasuke was expecting, maybe because Oki-Itachi padded the cylinder with a fleecy hand towel before setting him in. However, watching the forest scenery gets boring after the first day. Especially since it gives little indication how far they are from Konoha, as nearly every Elemental Nation has woodland areas.

Growing restless, Sasuke paces around the jar, but Oki-Itachi's constant movements make it near impossible to maintain balance, and he's soon forced to sit back down.

By the time they stop for lunch, Sasuke is restless enough to lunge at the hand lowering a granola bar into his container.

Of course Oki-Itachi merely catches him and holds his neck back when he tries to bite him while Sasuke writhes.

Kisame, watching from his perch on a boulder, chuckles. "Somebody is cranky." The Chibi would glare at the sharkman if Oki-Itachi wasn't holding his head in place. "Maybe we should knock it out until we reach the docks."

Oki-Itachi keeps his gaze on the still squirming Chibi as he says, "No, I need to show him how to complete the mission first." His eyes bleed into the Mangekyō Sharingan and Sasuke can't avert his gaze before he's drawn into the scarlet irises. "I'll show him now."

The Oki's voice echoes as the world darkens, and Sasuke can't even see the hand around him until a soft yellow light forms above the Uchiha.

The Chibi ceases struggling and his pulse quickens because he's seen what Oki-Itachi can do with a genjutsu, will never forgot how Oki-Sasuke screamed.

Oki-Itachi frowns, loosening his hold on him. "You don't have to be afraid," he says gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The Chibi scoffs because that's probably what the Oki Uchiha thought before he killed them all.

The human's brow furrows. "Is that why you're so scared of me? You saw what I did?"

Sasuke quickly realizes he projected that thought out loud because this isn't the real world, but an illusion in his _mind_. He has to guard his thoughts carefully here or they could become audible.

Oki-Itachi stares seriously at him, repeating. "I am not going to hurt you." The Chibi's skeptical expression doesn't change. "What I did in the past...I have no intention of ever carrying out again."

A hard glint enters the Oki's eyes, but Sasuke doesn't care if he means it. His intentions don't matter, considering Oki-Itachi didn't intend to starve his clan and nearly kill him that night, yet his actions almost cost Sasuke everything regardless.

"What?" Oki-Itachi looks genuinely shocked, having heard Sasuke's thoughts, and anger rushes into the teen's veins.

It's not _fair_. The human didn’t even know what he did to the Chibi Uchiha, was ignorant of the harm he caused while Sasuke's brother almost killed himself gathering food to ensure the clan made it through the night.

Sasuke's emotions churn, venomous words hanging off the tip of his tongue, so when Oki-Itachi moves to speak, the dam breaks loose.

_—isn't even close to bedtime yet._

The memory of Sasuke riding a crow that fateful night displays itself like a scratchy film beside them, and Oki-Itachi whips around to it with wide eyes while it shows the seven-year old Chibi climbing into Oki-Sasuke's satchel.

_"This is—!"_

_"Uncle... Auntie..."_

_"Father? Mother?"_

Sasuke struggles to halt the flow of memories, yet his emotions are so charged that suddenly he's no longer fifteen, but seven-years old and trembling inside Oki-Sasuke's shorts pocket while Oki sandals clack against the floorboards.

Sasuke squeezes his eyes shut and covers his ears, but Oki-Sasuke screams and screams until Sasuke can't help but scream too.

Then he's falling, head colliding harshly with the floor, and vision fading in and out as the Oki talk above him.

_"Nii-san...why did you..."_

_"That is what's important."_

A thick, metallic-smelling liquid fills around Sasuke and the seven-year old weakly opens his eyes to see an ocean of blood. Is it his blood? Is he dying?

Sasuke's eyes drift close.

_I don't...want to..._

The memory ends abruptly, Sasuke gasping as the genjutsu world shatters around him.

Then he's fifteen again, standing in Oki-Itachi's palm while the giant sways back and forth.

It takes a second to realize it isn't the Oki swaying, but himself, and by then Sasuke is already falling back unconscious while Oki-Itachi whispers his name.

Fingers running through his hair wakes Sasuke up. The Chibi believes it's his brother, and is going to complain about being too old for this when he notices it isn't fingers running through his hair. It's a _single_ , giant finger brushing his head.

The Chibi cracks open his eyes to see a large campfire against the backdrop of night and a black material beneath him. Soon he realizes he's lying on an Akatsuki cloak, which is spread over a human's lap.

An Oki finger strokes Sasuke's hair, gently smoothing down the spikes, and the Chibi looks up to see Oki-Itachi gazing at the campfire, his hand hovering over him.

Disturbed by their close proximity, Sasuke lurches to his feet and nearly falls right back down. The Chibi looks to the ground, blinking at the ninja wire twined around his ankles and lifting his arms to see his wrists are tied too.

"You're awake." Oki-Itachi takes his hand away from him. "Are you feeling alright?"

Sasuke ignores the question and tries pulling his hands apart because he can tell his chakra is no longer suppressed, so if he can just get his hands loose...

"Sorry about the wire, but it was either that or put you back in the jar, and you didn't seem very fond of the jar."

Sasuke glowers at the giant Uchiha because being tied up is hardly better.

The Oki frowns. "Are you really okay? The genjutsu…" He trails off and Sasuke looks away, embarrassed by how he lost control to the point he showed the Oki his memories. He's only fortunate none of the memories showed him or other Chibi talking.

"I didn't mean to invade your privacy." Oki-Itachi bows his head and Sasuke is shocked by the sincerity in his voice. "And I am sorry for the harm I brought you that night."

Sasuke's mouth drops. Yet soon he realizes the Oki must still be trying to bond with him by acting nice. The explanation doesn't quite satisfy the Chibi like it used to, but it's the only explanation that makes sense, so he goes with it.

Oki-Itachi raises his head. "I still need to tell you about the mission." Sasuke braces himself for another genjutsu, but the human doesn't activate his Sharingan. "You'll be gathering information. We'll drop you off at a message encryption center where you will break into the mailroom and read a letter labeled with this date and name."

The Oki pulls out a piece of paper from his weapons pouch and shows it to Sasuke, who takes a moment to read the large print.

 _Terumī Mei._ The Mizukage? Why do they want information on her?

"I'm not sure if you can read kanji, but even if you can't, I'll simply retrieve the image of the letter from your head."

Sasuke turns up to glare at the Oki because the entire Akatsuki must be crazy if they think he's actually going to help them with anything.

Oki-Itachi notices his defiant stance and lowers his voice as he asks, "Do you know why they assigned you to me?" Sasuke blinks, confused by the change in subject. "It's because I'm the only one who can _force_ you to go along with our plans."

The Chibi flinches, realizing that with his Mangekyō Sharingan, Oki-Itachi could force Sasuke to do whatever the Akatsuki want... But what exactly is the Akatsuki's plan for him? And how does it involve the Mizukage?

"I'm sure we would both prefer to avoid that," Oki-Itachi says. "So I recommend you do as they ask for now."

Sasuke scowls, but knows the Oki is right. He can either complete the mission of his own free will or do it while under the influence of a genjutsu.

"You should eat before the mission." Oki-Itachi lowers some senbei beside Sasuke and pulls out a thermos, pouring a light-colored liquid into the thermos cup before placing it next to him.

Sasuke is considering kicking the cup so the drink spills over the Oki's legs when he catches a whiff of it. The liquid has a scent, meaning it isn't water.

The Chibi peers closer at the steam rising from the drink, soon identifying it as green tea.

Eyes widening, Sasuke pulls the cup down with his bound hands until he can dip his head in and sip the hot liquid. He drinks all of it in two breaths, and releases the cup with a satisfied sigh because it's been weeks since he drank anything beside plain water.

Oki-Itachi stares him, eyes a little bigger than normal, and a light blush spreads across Sasuke's cheeks. Yet the Oki doesn't comment before pouring him another cup of green tea, which Sasuke enjoys between bites of the rice crackers.

It's as the Chibi is finishing his meal that Kisame returns, and Sasuke thinks Oki-Itachi's face becomes a tad more reserved when he addresses his partner. "Did you find one?"

"Of course, the dock barely has any guards this late." Kisame frowns a little. "And the ones there barely put up a fight." He sighs and shakes his head. "It was really no fun."

Oki-Itachi nods, putting away the the thermos and moving Sasuke to the ground while he stands and shrugs on his cloak. The Chibi is about to activate his Sharingan as Kisame faces him, hoping to capture the man in a genjutsu, but Oki-Itachi lifts him by his shirt and tucks him in his weapons pouch, closing the flap before he can.

Annoyed, Sasuke huffs while the Oki discuss the mission plan, which apparently involves sending him to an island via a crow summon. At least part of the journey must be by boat though because the Chibi eventually smells salt water and feels the bobbing of waves beneath him.

Are they in the Land of Water? If so, that would explain the island destination and the connection to the Mizukage. It would also allow him to cross out the Land of Water as a potential location for the Akatsuki base he's been staying in, considering it took days to reach this land.

Sasuke stares at the wire tied around his wrists, wondering if he can burn it off, but his hands are too close together to weave signs and the wire is part metal, meaning he would electricute himself if he used lightning on it.

The Chibi is beginning to doubt this mission will be an escape opportunity, but doesn't give up hope until Oki-Itachi removes him from the pouch and he looks around while the human unties his hands.

Sasuke could try running across the water, but he can't tell how far they are from land. He could attack the humans, but Oki-Itachi will just use his Sharingan to force him to complete the mission anyway.

Grudgingly accepting he won't be escaping today, Sasuke allows Oki-Itachi to set him on his crow. The Chibi uses chakra to stick to the bird's back, savoring the feeling of having access to it as the crow takes off into the dark, moonless sky.

Sasuke is mildly concerned about the bird's lack of night vision, but thankfully the flight only lasts three minutes before a tall, stone building appears in the distance.

It takes another five minutes for the crow to land on the sand beside the building, and Sasuke hops off of it, scanning the area until he finds an air vent in the stone structure.

The Chibi creates a lightning blade and uses it to cut a hole through the metal grate, which he walks into assuming the crow will wait here for him.

Then Sasuke breaks into a run, wanting to complete this mission as fast as possible because helping the Akatsuki makes him feel like a traitor even if he doesn't really have a choice.

The teen slows every time he passes a grate opening, checking to see where it leads, and comes to a total stop once he finds a staircase. He makes sure no Oki are nearby before cutting a hole and stepping out onto the floor.

Sasuke's bad leg twinges as he runs up the staircase railing, but his injury is almost completely healed, so he quickly shakes off the pain and walks up the metal towards the exit. Pausing on the railing corner, the Chibi examines the map directory hanging beside the doorway and sees the mailroom is two floors up and the fourth room on the left.

Sasuke hurries up the rail to the third floor, grateful no Oki enter the stairwell, and leaps to the ground upon seeing the door labeled with a large number three.

His hand sparks with lightning as he prepares to form a blade, but a human pushes open the door and Sasuke quickly ends the jutsu, cartwheels aside and presses himself flat against the wall.

The man walks past without turning back and Sasuke runs out as the door closes behind him, yet freezes upon seeing a dozen Oki milling about the hallway.

He can't henge into something less noticeable because the Oki might sense his jutsu, so Sasuke takes a chance and darts towards the nearest woman.

Her skirt falls just above the floor and grants him the perfect cover. However, she soon moves towards the staircase, forcing Sasuke to run out from under her and hide between the shoes of two men absorbed in conversation.

The mailroom is merely a few feet ahead of them, but the door is closed and using his lightning blade on it would definitely catch the attention of the Oki.

Fortunately, a man pushing a cart full of boxes enters the corridor and Sasuke slides under it as it passes, leaping onto the cart's underside and smirking when the man turns straight into the mailroom.

The lights are off inside, and the man doesn't bother turning them on as he deposits three boxes on the middle table and pulls the cart back out, Sasuke letting go of it to land on the ground while the man closes the door.

Moonlight streams in through a small window in the back, but Sasuke still uses chakra to climb up the wall and flick on the lights.

He squints until his eyes adjust and then takes in the area. Four long tables border the room while a circular table rests in the middle. Plastic baskets labeled with dates are on every table, some empty and others brimming with envelopes.

Sasuke looks around for the date he's supposed to find and soon spots it on the nearest right table. He uses his chakra to run along the wall and drops down in front of the basket. Then he picks up each envelope, scanning over their addresses until he comes across one with the Mizukage's name.

He quickly breaks the seal, opens it, and pulls out the letter. Yet reading it, he frowns.

 _Her schedule?_ The message has a list of future dates and times next to brief descriptions of what the Mizukage will be doing, such as meeting with a daimyo or passing a reform law.

The teen is confused since nothing here pertains to the Akatsuki. Though he can't ponder it more as a familiar whistle slices through the air behind him and Sasuke ducks, watching Chibi shuriken clatter against the mail basket.

The Uchiha leaps high as four more shuriken soar under him while a voice quips. "Well, can't say I was expecting to see an Uchiha this far in Land of Water territory."

Sasuke lands on the table corner and his eyes widen, recognizing the other man's voice as he turns towards the middle table.

Chibi-Kisame stands there wearing an unmarred Kirigakure headband and a katana on his back.

Sasuke is stunned, having not expected to encounter an enemy Chibi, let alone one whose Oki counterpart he already knows.

"I don't know what you're doing here," Kisame slides out his sword and smirks, "But I'm not going to let you leave with Kirigakure's secrets."

Sasuke can't respond before the sharkman runs and leaps across the distance, bearing down on Sasuke with his blade.

The katana slashes across the Uchiha's chest, but Kisame is shocked when Sasuke turns into a log. However, heat bursts behind the Kiri-nin and he swivels around, hands already forming signs before he spits a stream of water at the incoming fireball.

The two elements clash and steam fills the room. Yet once it clears, Kisame finds the Konoha-nin is nowhere in sight.

He gazes over the table to see a jagged hole in the window, and grins. "Smart, but you won't be getting away that easily."

**—**

Out on the sand, Sasuke uses shunshin to reach the metal vent he first came through, only to panic when he finds his ride is gone.

Yet soon he notices the crow is there, its dark feathers blending in with the shadows. Hastily Sasuke hops onto the bird's back and sighs in relief as it takes off into the sky.

However, the Chibi can’t relax before something big shoots at them from below. The crow screeches, gliding left to dodge the projectile and Sasuke's activates his Sharingan, scouring the sea for the source of attack.

The Uchiha can’t make out anything in the dark waters until a formless ball of chakra—a water jutsu—hurtles up from under them and Sasuke leaps off the bird, knowing the crow won't be able to move in time.

The crow is struck, falling somewhere to wayside while the Chibi lands on the water's surface. Though Sasuke gasps as his Sharingan reveals a dozen jets of water soaring towards him.

The Chibi jumps and flips to avoid them, but wobbles when the ocean suddenly lurches up beneath him. Sasuke looks down to see sharp teeth and eyes widening, launches up before the shark summon can swallow him.

He falls safely on the shark's head. However, a katana comes swinging at his neck and Sasuke ducks.

Chibi-Kisame again brings the sword down on his shoulder, but Sasuke twists aside and kicks at the sharkman's knees.

Kisame isn't effected by Sasuke's hit, merely chuckling. "Is this the best you can do? And here I thought I'd found a real challenge."

Sasuke attempts to make eye contact, to trap him in a genjutsu, but Kisame wisely keeps his eyes on Sasuke's neck as he stabs at the Uchiha's throat.

The teen leans back, but the shark summon suddenly lunges forward, racing along the water, and unprepared, Sasuke can't push chakra into his feet before he slides off.

The Chibi plunges into the frigid water and the cold bites into Sasuke's bones like needles while the teen flails in his attempt to climb back onto the surface.

Sasuke eventually manages to get on top of the waves, but his teeth chatter as the wind whips across his face. This isn't good, he'll freeze to death if he doesn't get off of the water soon.

The Uchiha looks around, but there is no land in sight, and he's nearly out of chakra.

He deactivates his Sharingan to conserve his strength, but the action does nothing to warm him up. What should he do? The teen can't even tell where the island is, it's too dark, and he’s starting to shiver.

Sasuke searches desperately and stiffens when he sees what looks like a tall wave approaching. If it is one, Sasuke doubts he can evade it, and if it's Chibi-Kisame returning, Sasuke will certainly be done for.

"Little Sasuke?" The large shape stops yards away, and Sasuke realizes it's Oki-Itachi, his Sharingan shining like a beacon in the darkness.

Sasuke flares his chakra up and down, too desperate to be stubborn, and the Oki spins around, quickly making his way over and stopping in front of the Chibi.

"Come on," Oki-Itachi urges, crouching and laying his cupped hands on the water.

The Chibi weakly stumbles onto his palms, uncaring that it's Oki-Itachi helping him because he's freezing and the human's hands are so warm.

"Are you alright?" The Oki's fingers curl over Sasuke and the Chibi presses his face against the hot skin.

"Hold on." Oki-Itachi tells him, but his voice sounds far off, and though Sasuke fights to keep his eyes open, exhaustion gradually sweeps him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support last chapter! I'm glad so many are enjoying this story :)
> 
> Next time: Sasuke recovers while the Akatsuki move forward with their plans...


	8. Chapter 8

Itachi watches the crow carry the min-nin to the island. He waits for the avian to fade into the dark horizon before summoning another crow and sending it after them. The second bird is to report back if anything goes awry, whether that's the min-nin attempting to escape or the little shinobi getting into trouble.

Therefore, Itachi knows something is wrong the moment his crow returns to the rowboat and perches on his arm. He quickly activates his Sharingan and dives into the bird's memories. Yet his heart clenches as he sees the min-nin falling to the ocean and desperately dodging what looks like water bullets.

Itachi immediately dismisses his summon and runs across the water, leaving a confused Kisame behind. He's forced to slow down when a boat patrol crosses his path, him darting around their roving searchlights, but soon he arrives where the min-nin fell.

The Uchiha scans the water's surface, using his dōjutsu to search for the min-nin's chakra. However, he finds no trace of the tiny shinobi. He keeps searching, but even with his Sharingan all he sees are dark, blurry waves.

Frowning, Itachi calls. "Little Sasuke?"

He examines the ocean again, yet when his only response is the distant crashing of waves, Itachi turns and hurries left, calling for the min-nin once more.

Still, no response, so Itachi goes to the right. Yet the min-nin isn't there either, and now the dreadful possibility Little Sasuke has been killed, that his little body is floating lifelessly under the waves, stabs into Itachi's chest like a burning poker.

Sasuke can't be dead. Itachi won't allow it. _Never_.

Itachi backtracks, running around in zigzags and calling for the min-nin over and over until finally a little chakra signature rises and falls behind him.

The Uchiha sprints towards Little Sasuke and crouches down, lowering his hands. He's surprised when the min-nin climbs onto his palms without protest, but quickly notices the teen is soaking wet.

"Are you alright?" Itachi cups his hands over the min-nin to shield him from the nighttime breeze, but this doesn't seem to help much as the tiny ninja shivers and presses his face against Itachi's fingers.

"Hold on," Itachi says while the min-nin lays his whole body against his palm for warmth.

The Uchiha weaves the tiger seal and holds Little Sasuke against his chest as he moves rapidly across the water. He arrives back on the boat in a whirl of wind and Kisame releases his sword handle, seeing it's him.

"Hey, where did you—" The man stops when Itachi pulls his hand from his chest, revealing the min-nin curled up in his palm and trembling violently.

Kisame hisses a curse while Itachi takes a fleecy hand towel from his pocket and wraps it around the min-nin, saying, "He fell in the water and now appears hypothermic." He unbuttons the top of his cloak and places the bundled min-nin against his chest. "We need to warm him up quickly or he won't last long."

Kisame, a rare serious expression on his face, says, "Alright, if we head twelve miles from the shore we should be far enough that our campfire won't be noticed." He knocks on the boat's side twice and it starts speeding ahead as his shark summons push it from below.

Itachi nods, forcing his features to remain neutral while he peers down at the min-nin. The little Sasuke's teeth are chattering, face pale and dark orbs half-lidded.

The Uchiha considers what to do before taking the min-nin out and unwinding the towel. The small shinobi whimpers as he's exposed to the cool air and tries curling up, but Itachi grabs his collar and tugs the damp shirt off of him first. It looks like the towel soaked up most of the water from the min-nin's pants, but his shirt is made of a thicker material and thus is still wet.

The min-nin glares weakly at Itachi and reaches for his shirt. Yet the Uchiha quickly presses him against his chest, halting his movements as the boat arrives at the docks.

"Follow me." Kisame leaps onto shore and takes off, Itachi quickly following him onto land and into the forest.

Late as it is, they don't encounter anyone as they run through the trees, but that's a small comfort once Itachi notices the min-nin is nodding off.

"Don't go to sleep," Itachi orders, and the little ninja stirs, blinking tiredly. "I need to make sure you don't have other injuries first."

Little Sasuke ignores him, turning his face into Itachi's shirt like he has every intention to sleep.

"Don't, _Sasuke_ ," Itachi scolds, and the min-nin flinches, twisting around with wide eyes.

Itachi wonders why the min-min looks so startled, but figures his sharp tone took the small shinobi by surprise. After all, he doesn't raise his voice often.

Regardless, the Uchiha continues. "Don't sleep until I tell you to."

The min-nin frowns, but his eyes are wide open and he appears more awake, so Itachi looks away as he catches up to Kisame.

His partner has already stopped in a clearing and is gathering dry branches from the ground. Itachi quickly does the same, only pausing to tap on Little Sasuke's head when the min-nin starts closing his eyes.

Soon the wood pile is ready and Itachi blows fire onto the branches until it blazes. Then he pulls the min-nin from his chest, removes his cloak and folds it into a makeshift futon. He sets the cloth by the fire, tucking Little Sasuke into its folds and kneeling beside him.

Kisame watches, a curious expression on his face as he asks, "Will it be okay?"

Itachi pulls out the hand towel and the min-nin's shirt, laying them by the fire to dry. "I'm not sure," he says, frowning at the min-nin who is struggling to keep his eyes open. "He might have other injuries, but I can't check until he has warmed up."

Itachi glances at the min-nin's shirt. There aren't any holes or cuts in the cloth, and Itachi saw no wounds or blood on Little Sasuke's body, which implies he wasn't injured beyond falling into the cold water. However, he can't be sure of this until he fully examines the min-nin. In the meantime, Itachi has a question that needs answering.

The Uchiha looks up at his partner standing by the trees. "Pain said we were just buying a min-nin to increase the efficiency of our missions, but the min-nin's assignment today hardly required any involvement from us." He trails off, knowing his implication will be heard.

Kisame blinks, either surprised by the topic or that Itachi is the one initiating a conversation. Yet soon a smirk spreads across his face. "So you noticed that too," he folds his arms and stares up at the sky, "I thought you might."

Itachi stares seriously at Kisame until his smirk fades and he frowns. "Honestly, I'm not sure, but I think the plan changed once Pain met the min-nin."

"Because he saw his Sharingan." Itachi deduces, having been shocked himself to find a min-nin with a Kekkei Genkai, let alone one with the same dōjutsu.

"The min-nin is far stronger than we were expecting." He glances at Little Sasuke, heart lifting at the sight of color returning to the tiny ninja's face. The min-nin still shivers, but the tremors have lessened and his eyes aren't quite so dazed too.

"Yes, and then there's this mission." Kisame looks down in thought. "The Akatsuki sent a Sharingan-weilder to find information on the Mizukage..."

Itachi's eyes narrow because he doesn't understand what Kisame is referencing. Though after a minute, his partner stares at him. "During the Fourth Mizukage's reign, there were rumors he was being manipulated, that his actions weren't his own."

The Uchiha remembers his sole encounter with Kirigakure's leader back when he was fairly new to the Akatsuki, how the Mizukage had been so powerful Itachi needed Amaterasu to escape him. The thought of anyone having the power to manipulate such a Kage is almost inconceivable.

Kisame notices Itachi's disbelief and smirks. "I didn't believe the rumors either," his smirk widens, "Until I saw it with my own eyes."

Itachi is stunned, though he remains expressionless while Kisame shakes his head ruefully. "Even now, it's hard to believe the Mizukage was being manipulated," his gaze meets Itachi's, "By a Sharingan."

The Uchiha stiffens, mind racing because the Fourth Mizukage had been manipulated by a Sharingan-user, an actual Uchiha if his hypnosis ability was strong enough to take over his mind. Also, the manipulation must have occurred after Itachi joined the Akatsuki since he would have noticed if a Sharingan was influencing the Mizukage during their battle, and the only Uchiha still alive by then with such powerful Sharingan were himself and Tobi.

A feeling of dread sinks into Itachi's stomach as he sees the connection. The Fourth Mizukage was controlled by a Sharingan, the Akatsuki has obtained a min-nin with the Sharingan and is suddenly interested in the Fifth Mizukage's whereabouts.

"Of course, it's just a theory," Kisame shrugs nonchalantly, like he didn't just imply that the Akatsuki is planning to use the min-nin to take over the Fifth Mizukage's mind, which would put Kirigakure under the Akatsuki's control.

And if the min-nin succeeds in taking over one Kage's mind, the Akatsuki will likely try to take over the rest of the Kage too. Then with all the Villages under their influence, they could obtain most of the jinchūriki without a struggle.

The Uchiha hums like the idea is merely interesting when really he's deeply disturbed by the possibility. He looks to Little Sasuke and his lips form a line.

Itachi has to stop the Akatsuki's plan, and the simplest way to do that would be by helping the min-nin escape. However, it would be reckless to make a move when Little Sasuke is still recovering, so for now Itachi will wait and keep a lookout for the right opportunity.

**—**

Sasuke is confused as he wakes up, for a minute ago he was freezing to death in the middle of an endless ocean and now he's lying in something warm and cozy.

The Chibi pries open his eyes to see sunlight peeking through a green blur. Sasuke blinks until the green merges into tree leaves above him, a jar lid obscuring half of the scenery. He's in a forest during daytime, but that doesn't makes sense when he was on the ocean in the dark—

Sasuke's thoughts screech to a halt as the memory of giant hands holding him against a warm body crop up. Oh...that's right. Oki-Itachi came and saved him.

 _"No,_ **_Sasuke_** _."_

The Chibi flinches at the recollection of his brother's stern voice, but...no, that couldn't have been his brother. It must have been Oki-Itachi, Sasuke was just so confused at the time he'd mistaken his brother's human counterpart for him.

Sasuke struggles to recall what else happened after the mission and the scent of burning oak while a fire crackles beside his ear comes to mind.

 _"No sign of poisoning."_ Oki-Itachi's voice drifts along the memory of human fingers running over his body. _"His chakra is undisrupted..."_

Oki-Itachi stares down at him, expression blank yet eyes warm as he whispers. _"You can sleep now."_

Sasuke, believing it was his actual brother speaking, had instantly fell asleep by the campfire. Now though the Chibi is awake and bundled in a towel within his jar. He quickly extracts himself from the cloth and stands, yet his knees wobble, body strangely weak, and he ends up falling forward.

Sasuke catches himself, hands banging against the jar wall, but that soft noise is enough to draw attention.

Oki-Itachi looks at him, slowing his stride. His cloak collar hides his expression, but he seems relieved as he says, "The min-nin is awake."

Kisame glances back, mouth hitching up. "Have a nice nap?" He asks, and Sasuke's eyes narrow. Though his glare is ruined when his stomach rumbles.

A faint blush burns across the Chibi's cheeks while Oki-Itachi pauses to set a small apple in his jar. Sasuke scowls, not a big fan of the fruit, but his entire body feels limp from hunger, so he eats it.

The Chibi is down to the apple core when Oki-Itachi and Kisame suddenly freeze, and while the Uchiha's expression hardens, his partner says, "We're almost at the base, why?"

For a second Sasuke thinks the sharkman has lost his mind, but then Oki-Itachi nods. "Understood."

The Chibi blinks because it looks like the Akatsuki members are talking to thin air, yet if both of them are responding, it must be some sort of jutsu—telepathy, perhaps?

"The min-nin was injured and woke up a few minutes ago, but I can check now." Oki-Itachi turns down with Sharingan eyes and Sasuke wants to smack himself for making eye contact as he's dragged under a genjutsu.

Again the world goes dark, a dim light glows above them and the jar disappears, leaving the Chibi to stand on the human's palm.

 _"Show me what happened during your mission."_ Oki-Itachi's mouth doesn't move while the genjutsu order ripples across Sasuke's mind and a calming sensation spreads over his body. Sasuke recognizes this information extraction technique, having used it himself before, but with his chakra sealed he doesn't have the power to resist it.

The Chibi's mind opens up and the memory of landing on the island and running through the vents streams out to Oki-Itachi. Sasuke doesn't put up a fight, thoughts sedated by the genjutsu. However, the feeling that something is wrong pricks through his tranquility, and Sasuke ponders why that is until it hits him that Chibi-Kisame _spoke_ during their fight.

Sasuke's tranquility shatters, eyes widening as he realizes if Oki-Itachi sees his memories of the mailroom, the human will learn Chibi can talk.

Sasuke slams down on his memories, grappling them away from Oki-Itachi. The human makes a surprised sound, but his hold remains firm on the Chibi's memories, and alarm rushes through Sasuke's veins as the image of him entering the mailroom slips out his head. No, no, no, Chibi-Kisame will talk any second!

The teen fights desperately to tear his memories from the Oki's grasp, but it's like holding an eel and he can't get a good grip on them. Yet Sasuke can't give up, the human can't learn the truth! His clan, his friends, his Village, everybody will be put in danger!

Suddenly his memories snap back into his mind, cutting off right as Chibi-Kisame opens his mouth, and Sasuke staggers back from the mental rebound.

"What's wrong?" Oki-Itachi asks, brow furrowing. "Why don't you want me to see what happened?"

The Chibi glares at him, but isn't sure what to do. He obviously can't respond, yet if he does nothing, the Oki will simply continue watching his memories.

Oki-Itachi stares, clearly trying to figure out why Sasuke is being stubborn, but soon he sighs. "I don't understand."

The Chibi tenses, knowing the man will simply go through his memories again unless he does something. However, he's stunned as the Oki says, "I need to know who attacked you and how you fell in the ocean, as well as what the Mizukage's letter said. If you show me that, I will end the genjutsu."

Sasuke blinks twice, and it takes a minute to recognize Oki-Itachi is asking Sasuke to show him his memories rather than take them by force.

The Chibi hesitates, not wanting to show him anything since he doesn't know what the Akatsuki will do with the information, but if he doesn't, Oki-Itachi will look through his memories anyway.

As much as Sasuke hates it, he opens up his mind and allows his memories to flow out. He reveals an image of the Mizukage's letter, jumps to his recollection of riding the crow until the water bullets shot at him, and finally allows snapshots of Chibi-Kisame attacking him to be revealed.

After showing himself fall off the shark summon, he clamps down on his memories and scowls, expression asking if Oki-Itachi is satisfied.

"So another min-nin attacked you..." The human sounds upset, but Sasuke can't tell who his ire is aimed at before the genjutsu swirls around him and he's returned to his jar in the real world.

"He completed his mission," Oki-Itachi tells whoever he's speaking to—the Akatsuki leader maybe?

The Oki talk through the jutsu for another minute before the conversation ends and Kisame grins. "Well, it sounds like the next few days might be interesting."

Sasuke's face wrinkles, not understanding what the sharkman means based on the one-sided conversation he heard. Is something happening? Are they going on another mission?

The Chibi hopes not since he's still sore from the last one. Though his concern is allayed once the Oki continue ahead and within minutes arrive at a familiar waterfall.

Sasuke is shocked. Was he really asleep for the whole trip back? Hm, maybe not if Oki-Itachi and Kisame traveled faster returning than they had heading to the island, which would mean Sasuke was actually only out for about a day.

The two enter the base, and Sasuke immediately senses something is off. He scans the living room, but the center table and sofas are in the same place as usual, though they're devoid of Deidara's magazines or Kakuzu's ledgers and the floor looks like it was recently swept.

The two Akatsuki members separate in the hall as Oki-Itachi heads to the restroom. The Chibi glances around the bathroom, having never seen it before, while the human washes his face and hands. After drying himself, the Oki opens the medicine cabinet over the sink and pulls out Sasuke's bath bowl. The Chibi examines the cabinet as he fills the bowl with hot water, yet is confused to see it only contains a first aid kit and soap bar.

Suddenly it hits Sasuke what's so off about the base. It's empty, devoid not just of other people, but their belongings are gone too. Has the Akatsuki abandoned the base? But if so, why did Kisame and Oki-Itachi return to it?

"We're moving to another base tomorrow," Oki-Itachi says like he read Sasuke's mind while entering his bedroom. Then he places the steaming bowl and other bathing necessities by Sasuke's pillow and releases the Chibi from the jar beside them.

"This base is no longer suitable for the Akatsuki's purposes." The Oki concludes as if that explains everything. "You can take a bath while I make dinner." He turns and leaves without another word, an odd expression on his face like he's lost in thought.

Sasuke frowns, uncertain how to feel about changing bases as he gets undressed and enters his bath, sitting against the bowl rim and staring at the ceiling. Why is the Akatsuki leaving the hideout? What are they planning to do with the information in the Mizukage's letter? What does the organization want with him?

The questions buzz in his head while he drifts off on his pillow, wondering if he'll ever get the answers he seeks.

The Chibi jumps awake when large fingers wrap around his body and lift him off the cushion. Sasuke immediately tries breaking free as he’s pulled away from the lamplight, but the hand is unyielding around him and a thumb already holds his head in place.

"Calm down."

Sasuke stills as he peers through the darkness and sees the shadowed outline of Oki-Itachi's face.

"There's something I need to tell you," the Oki says while taking swift steps towards the door and hurrying out into the unlit corridor.

The Chibi wonders if he's dreaming, completely thrown off by the sudden awakening. Sasuke is so confused he doesn't even try to bite the human once Oki-Itachi releases his head and exits the base, rushing out past the waterfall and entering the woods.

Sasuke stares at the Oki, but in the pale moonlight he can't make out his expression. He only see the human's eyes, which are scanning the area warily.

Oki-Itachi slows to a stop once he reaches a vast lake at the edge of the forest, one Konan often liked to visit when she took the Chibi for walks. The human looks around, Sharingan activated, but soon his red irises fade to black. "This should be far enough."

The human regards him and Sasuke stares back, though he doesn't foolishly make eye contact this time. "I've figured out what the Akatsuki plans to do with you." Sasuke's eyes widen. "They want you to take control of the Fifth Mizukage with your Sharingan."

Sasuke gapes at the Oki's blunt delivery, but his mouth snaps shut as he realizes the human isn't joking. The Akatsuki really want him to take over a Kage's mind!?

"I also suspect they won't stop there if you succeed in manipulating her," Oki-Itachi's voice hardens, "But they'll probably have you do the same to the other Kage."

Sasuke wants to deny the possibility, yet it makes sense. Sasuke is a Chibi, he's spent his whole living around humans undetected, so naturally he's a stealth expert. The teen can break into heavily guarded human facilities much more easily than an Oki shinobi, and with his three tomoe Sharingan it is feasible for him to take over a human's mind.

"That's why I'm going to help you es—" The Oki's mouth shuts and he turns sharply to the left, Sharingan eyes flashing. Sasuke follows his gaze over to the tree line where a dark figure in an Akatsuki cloak stands beside some bushes.

Oki-Itachi's face shutters as Tobi steps out of the tree shade to stand across from them. Sasuke can already tell this isn't the playful, childish version of the man he normally sees, but the Tobi he glimpsed while trying to escape the Akatsuki, this is the Tobi who radiates _danger_.

"Itachi." Tobi's voice is cool and underlined with warning. "What are you doing with the min-nin?"

"My job," Oki-Itachi says flatly, raising Sasuke a little higher. "I'm bonding with him."

A dangerous light enters Tobi's lone black eye. "Why isn't it in the jar?"

"He doesn't like to be confined," Oki-Itachi replies smoothly. "And I thought he'd find this more relaxing."

"You took a risk," Tobi comments and Sasuke wonders why Oki-Itachi is acting like the masked man has some type of authority over him. Certainly, Tobi must be powerful to be among the Akatsuki, but from what he's seen the masked man shares the same rank as Oki-Itachi in the organization, perhaps even a lesser rank based on Deidara's derisive treatment of him.

"I didn't," the Uchiha counters, tone unwavering. "He can't weave hand signs like this and I would put him under a genjutsu if I sensed him forming lightning."

Tobi goes silent and a undercurrent of animosity wavers in the air between the two humans. Sasuke is missing something, he knows because the muscles in Oki-Itachi's hand are flexing, the Uchiha clearly viewing Tobi as a threat. Could...could Tobi actually be stronger than Oki-Itachi? Stronger than an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan?

The masked man inclines his head, the dangerous glint fading from his eye. "I see," his gaze drops onto the Chibi, Sasuke shrinking under it, "So how are you two getting along?"

"Not well, considering the min-nin seems aware of what I did to his clan," Oki-Itachi says like one commenting on the weather, as if he didn't just reference the mass murder he committed.

Tobi hums. "You mean it _thinks_ it knows what really happened that night."

Sasuke's face twitches, and he quickly looks away to hide that he understands Tobi. But what is the man talking about? What did he mean by "think"?

Suddenly Itachi's grip tightens around him, only to relax a second later as the human regains control over himself. It seems Tobi struck a nerve, but Sasuke isn't sure how. It's not like Oki-Itachi regrets what he did to his clan.

"Regardless," Tobi moves on after Oki-Itachi stays silent, "It's a shame you're on such bad terms since you're the closest thing to a brother the min-nin has anymore."

Sasuke faces down to hide his eye roll because his brother is alive, Oki-Itachi proved it—

"If only Zetsu hadn't killed him." Tobi sighs, shaking his head. "We could have had two min-nin with the Sharingan."

A flicker of confusion crosses Oki-Itachi's features for a second, Sasuke only noticing because he looked up at the unfamiliar name—Zetsu, is that another Akatsuki member?

"You mean Kisame killed him," the Uchiha corrects.

"No." Tobi's deep voice rings in Sasuke's ears, tone weighty. "Kisame thought he killed your min-nin counterpart, but in reality your counterpart survived Kisame's attack and nearly reached our base."

Tobi waved in the general direction of the hideout, Sasuke watching the man with widening eyes because he's confirming Itachi survived!

"Thankfully Zetsu spotted the min-nin before it could find the base." Tobi sounds like he's smirking beneath his mask. "Your counterpart put up quite the fight, nearly burning Zetsu to ash with those eyes of his."

Sasuke pictures the fight easily, imagining his brother surrounding this Zetsu guy with Amaterasu and raining fireballs down on Zetsu from above to ensure his annihilation. Itachi had probably tried placing Zetsu under a genjutsu at first, but when that failed, he had to use deadlier methods.

"That's why Zetsu was forced to kill your counterpart. The min-nin just wouldn't stop fighting."

Sasuke gasps, so quietly only Oki-Itachi hears him, the human drawing him an inch closer to himself, but the Chibi barely notices because that's...that's wrong. Tobi is wrong...right?

The Chibi glances at Oki-Itachi, waiting for him to say something— _anything_ —to prove Tobi wrong. Yet the Uchiha's mouth stays shut and in his eyes are the barest hint of uncertainty.

Dread spreads like ice over Sasuke's heart while Oki-Itachi sternly asks, "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

Tobi shrugs. "What would have been the point?" His eye slides over to Sasuke. "It's _dead_." The Chibi's bites his lip to keep silent. "Does it matter how it died?"

Died, died, died, _dead_. No...he can't be... Itachi isn't—it _can't_ be true.

Yet, it makes sense, doesn't it? A horrid voice taunts Sasuke in his mind because if Itachi survived Kisame's attack he would have kept tracking the Akatsuki members to find Sasuke, and if Itachi ran into Zetsu along the way, an Oki S-rank shinobi...

Maybe Itachi would have been fine on a regular day, but if he fought Zetsu while low on food or chakra, he might have lost and die—

A giant finger settles gently upon Sasuke's hair and the Chibi looks up to see Oki-Itachi glaring at Tobi. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear." The Oki walks pass the masked man. "Truth and lies can become easily tangled when you only listen to one source."

Oki-Itachi doesn't spare the man another look, but Sasuke hears Tobi release the barest of chuckles behind him and say, "You would know that better than anyone, Itachi."

Sasuke doesn't know what he means and doesn't care because Itachi— _Nii-san_ is—

"Don't believe his words." Oki-Itachi looks down at him with stern yet sympathetic eyes. "That man is an adept manipulator, don't trust him."

Sasuke wants to take comfort in the Oki's words, but a bitter part of him recalls that Sasuke once trusted Oki-Itachi as much as his own brother, and look how that turned out. He doesn't want to believe Tobi, but can he really believe the murderer of the Oki Uchiha?

The idea of trusting Oki-Itachi sours Sasuke's stomach almost as badly as believing Tobi and accepting his brother is dead. So the Chibi lays back on his pillow and marvels at the irony that he was given answers tonight, yet now he has more questions than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you all enjoyed the reveal of the Akatsuki's plans, as well as the rest of the story!  
> Thanks for the comments and constant support, you all are one of the reasons writing this is so fun 😊
> 
> Next time: Chibi Sasuke grapples with the truth and runs into some familiar faces...
> 
> See ya!


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